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POYEL: Organizing the Garage

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Most people associate garage organization with spring cleaning. It's true that prepping your garage storage for the spring and summer to come is a must, but what about setting it up for success after the summer season has ended?   Sure, the sports equipment may not get the use it did in the warmer months, but a lot of extras are stored in our garage for use throughout the year: oversized cookware for holiday dinners, bulk light bulbs, and even various cards and invitations I use for … [Read more...]

Midweek Musing: A Supersonic Skydive to Make Science Cool & the World Limitless

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Space, the final frontier, has always been a source of fascination and awe for children.  Which is why the death of the US space shuttle program last year was such a loss.  The indefinite shut down of the American manned space program could mean the end of little boys and girls playing astronaut in their living room, truly believing in their potential to one day travel to distant planets.  And it definitely means the loss of opportunities to talk to our children about science, adventure, and a … [Read more...]

Book Club: Week Five

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I'll be honest, the beginning of chapter 6 of Buddhism for Mothers of Young Children – Becoming a Mindful Parent scared me a bit - uh oh, there's a lot about meditation and even "dukkha" here.  Is this finally going to be the part in the book where things get just a little too New Age-y for me? But I pushed through it and I'm so glad I did because this chapter, more than any other, taught me some very applicable lessons. In it, the author encourages us to stop worrying (and lamenting) so much … [Read more...]

DIY Outdoor Halloween Garland

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My kids love having Holiday decorations outside our home. I love having homemade decorations. Unfortunately homemade + outdoors don't always mix well. A couple of years ago we started making these cute duct tape garlands and I'm happy to report that 2 years later our banners are still looking great. They are easy to make and look so festive no matter what the occasion. … [Read more...]

Scary Spider Webs & A Wonderful Fall Activity Book

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Ah, fall - I adore this time of year, especially now that I have kids.  There's so much potential for fun: fun crafts, fun outings, fun food - fun, fun, fun! The only thing I don't love about the season is the slightly panicked feeling I get about getting myself organized enough to cram it all in. That's why I'm so excited my friend, and kid art aficionado, Jean wrote The Artful Year: Autumn.  It's loaded with just the kind of activities and recipes I want to share with the kids this year, … [Read more...]

POYEL: Untangling Your Little One’s Hair Accessories

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I'm not embarrassed, actually slightly embarrassed, to show you the inside of a messy drawer in my house.  This type-A loves to organize, yet somehow my daughter's hair accessories have slipped through the cracks.  There's a lot.  Getting out the door to school in the morning is hard, so having our hair accessories easily accessible is just one more thing that will make my life easier. … [Read more...]

Announcing the Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life eBook!

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I'm overjoyed to announce today what I've been dying to share with you guys for quite a while now - POYEL has an eBook in the works! The Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life series has grown more than I could have ever anticipated over the last 8 months.  As amazing as it's been, I've started to feel like there's an essential piece missing. Now that POYEL has amassed a significant number of posts, I get the same question again and again from new members, "Where do I Start?".  So I decided to … [Read more...]

12 Fail-Proof Steps to Playroom Perfection

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Remember when I teamed up with Jen of the infamous I Heart Organizing for that fabulous FLOR giveaway? And how she used her rug to complete her equally fabulous playroom?  Well... I begged, pleaded and cajoled until finally she agreed to come back and spill all her organizational secrets with us today as part of Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life.  Enjoy! Our playroom is one of our favorite rooms in the house, because it is by far the most used and loved room. It has been set up and designed … [Read more...]

Two Dinners from One Tasty Crockpot

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Any recipe that starts with the words “double duty” has to be good, right? We are all looking for a few recipes that cut down on our time in the kitchen. I’m excited to say I’ve developed a slow cooker recipe that provides you with not one, but two flavorful meals. Jackpot! If you are already a fan of Thai food, you’re going to love this double duty dinner. If you’re a little timid when it comes to trying new things, I encourage you to give Thai food a try. These meals are flavorful, but not … [Read more...]

Free Positive Parenting Webinar Tomorrow Night!

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photo source   Did you guys catch Amy McCready dishing out positive parenting advice on the TODAY show this morning?  Don't forget we're hosting a free webinar with her tomorrow night, October 4th at 6pm PST. UPDATE: DUE TO THE LAST SESSION SELLING OUT, WE'RE OFFERING ROUND TWO ON THURSDAY, NOV. 8TH AT 6PM PST!   If you're sick of nagging, reminding, and even yelling to get your kiddos to listen then you won't want to miss it. Amy will be covering lots of tools you can start … [Read more...]

Finding My Style on Pinterest

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I'm debuting a big idea soon (very soon) and am currently hard at work on it. Also, we're currently tinkering with the feed a bit, mainly trying to get the top feature image here to show up there. While I work on all that, I wanted to share with you something else I've been working on - finding my style on Pinterest. Inspired by all the great remixable wardrobe info. Audrey shared here and here, I'm finally starting to pull myself together.  So far I've accumulated some colored pants, a few … [Read more...]

Top-Notch Halloween Stories

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I love seasonal and holiday books, although I've discovered that you generally have to sort through a lot of poorly-written or cheesily-illustrated reads to find the gems.  These are six that I consider very well-done against any scale, not just for Halloween. Earlier this week Steph suggested reading stories at night by candlelight as part of MPMK's 31 Ways to Start a Halloween Tradition.  All of these picks would be excellent choices for doing so. … [Read more...]