Toy Rotation and free printable

     Recently I have been trying to get my kiddos on a schedule and get more organized, for my own sanity.  As a stay at home mommy it can all feel overwhelming sometimes.  So, I needed to find some time for myself and look for ways to make my life easier.  

     The playroom has really been underused and the kids really just migrated to where ever I was to get into things I didn't want them to play with.  Joshua never has been one to play by himself and I had hoped it was something he would just learn to do as he got older.  But, this toy rotation has been such a blessing!  The other day they both played happily in the playroom for an hour by themselves!  I was shocked and couldn't decide between checking on them to make sure they were still alive and staying in the living room to not disturb them and jinx it.  It was amazing!

     So, I gathered all of the toys from all over the house (the playroom, living room, Joshua's room, under the couch, etc.) and started organizing them by category.  I went to Walmart and got a couple large tubs and 4 medium tubs (I already had the small shoe box size).  I packed all of the toys up and put them in Joshua's closet and made little labels to put on the outside.  Here is the schedule I decided to go with:

Toy Rotation Schedule

1.               Imaginative/ Role Play

2.               Play Kitchen/ Tools

3.               Cars/ Trucks/ Transportation

4.               Building Blocks/ Lincoln Logs

5.               Puzzles/ Leap Pad

6.               Train Table

7.               Figurines/ Dolls

8.               Baby Toys

                  On Monday morning we pack up the toys from last week (which is really simple since we can just throw all of the toys that are out into the same tub).  Then we put them back into the closet and get out the next tub.  We unpack the toys into baskets (that way we can throw them into the baskets to keep the playroom clean throughout the week) and let the kids go to town.  

Last week was imaginative play with all the dress up clothes, 

So here is Joshua as a police fireman

                

             I thought Joshua would be bored with only a few toys out, but he's not.  When he's asked about other toys I just tell him that they're packed for now, but we can play with them later.  That's worked for now, but I figure if there's something in particular he really wanted to play with we can get that one toy out.  This toy rotation makes clean up so much easier, the playroom looks so much cleaner, and the kids are playing happily; which makes me ecstatic!

Free Toy Rotation Tub Printable 

Shiplap Inspired Accent Wall

I love the look of shiplap and the fun accent it can be, but I wasn't about to spend hundreds of dollars on wood.  So, when I saw this tutorial on Bower Power and decided to give it a go.

Our foyer is pretty big and currently painted the same color of beige as the rest of the house.  They repainted the whole house before we moved in.  I had originally wanted to stencil on this plain wall in the foyer but after stenciling in our master bedroom and in Hannah's nursery I didn't feel like going through all that again.  So, when I saw this easy fix I was super excited to try it and figured if I hated it I could repaint the wall, no money lost.

 First I marked off every 10 inches and taped off the lines.  Gosh, I love projects that I can do start to finish while the kids are napping!  Anyway, then I took some black craft pain and dabbed a little on the paint brush.   Then, I tried to rub most of the paint off on a paper towel so my line would look less stark.  Then, I removed the tape after a couple of hours and stood back and enjoyed.

 







    At first, I really wasn't sure if I liked it.  I was worried it looked like I had taken a sharpie and drawn lines on my walls.  But, it's grown on me and I like the way it adds some interest to that wall and breaks up the beige.