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How to Organize Kitchen Drawers & Cabinets

It’s no secret that the kitchen is considered the ‘heart of the home”. Not only is it the place to cook and eat meals but it’s also a place where families like to gather to sit around for conversations, fun, and entertainment and so much more. Does your family like to congregate in the kitchen for so many of these reasons or just because?

Despite it all, we know that the kitchen’s main purpose is to prepare meals. There’s nothing like a good home-cooked meal, right?. Because the kitchen is such a central part of the home, I love having it organized to make it work for us, not the other way around. Having to look for utensils, cookware, or some other kitchen gadget (that’s no where to be found) while preparing meals is no fun at all. Having the kitchen organized helps us (me):

to work faster and get more done.
find kitchen things when I need them.
keeps things neatly and orderly.

Whether your kitchen is large or small, it can be organized in such a way to make things functional so you can actually enjoy using the kitchen. In our previous home, our kitchen was super tiny but I was determined to have it organized. And it was. In fact, I was able to keep big appliances off the counter to avoid clutter and to create more space for prepping food. (I have tried to take photos of that kitchen but it just did not give off the best lighting). You’ve already seen how I organized the pantry. Can I add that it has been working really well? Catch the three steps to an organized pantry post here. And by the way, if you need some pretty labels to help you organize pantry food, you are welcome to download these free ones here.

Organizing the rest of the kitchen doesn’t require a perfect system but it requires a functional system. In other words, find the correct system that looks neat and does not require you to waste time looking for stuff. You can do in the following way:

Using trays, small baskets, and drawer organizers to corral items. The drawers will have more space and they will look nicer too.
Organizing all items by type – all cookware together, all utensils together, all drinking cups together, etc.
Organizing items next to their related appliances – putting cooking utensils and pots and pans next to the stove, keeping all bakeware next to the oven, coffee mugs next to the coffee maker, etc. You’ll find it much easier, less time-consuming, and less frustrating than having to walk back and forth to retrieve stuff while you are in the kitchen.

I’m giving you a peek of how I organize some of the drawers and cabinets in our kitchen. It’s a very large kitchen so we have a ton of cabinets that are still unused. But having it organized in a functional way, makes things so much better. You’ll probably realize that I have not taken much photos of the counter tops. It’s because most of the large appliances are in the cabinets. Actually, the only appliance I keep on the counter is the Keurig. I wonder why!!

Note: Since I took these photos a few months ago, I’ve moved around some things, bought and added some other stuff like more colourful kids plates and bowls to the cupboards, more trays, along with a few other changes. As far as larger food storage bowls, those came in after the photos. I’ve created a space in the mugs and cups cabinet and moved the kids hot/cold bottles (in this photo) to the other side. The colander has taken their spot on the top shelf and the bigger storage bowls are kept on the middle shelf. I’ve also moved the kids craft things to the playroom so those cabinets are now currently empty, too. But the overall organization system, for the most part, is pretty much the same setup.

This drawer is right next to the pantry. All these dried snacks were for on the go – crackers, pretzels, veggie sticks, and cheerios. We love to eat fruit and raw veggies (A LOT) but there is always that time when we ran out of and need something to take with us on a quick outing or so. It helps having them already sorted out and kept in this drawer. When it’s all done, I’ll refill it with whatever snacks we have on hand.

What can I say other than that I function better when spaces are organized. I get too frazzled, not knowing what I’m about I feel like (we) I am working for the kitchen instead of making it work for us.

Want to organize your kitchen drawers and cabinets in a way that works for you? Here are some of my favorite tools to corral utensils and other items to get that kitchen organized.

Do you have some kind of organized kitchen system? Or are things all over the place and you are hoping to get to it? I’d love to know your thoughts!!

Affiliates links were used in this post. If any purchases are made by clicking on these links, I’ll get a very small compensation at no additional cost to you.

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Decor & DIY

Featured on Wayfair – Main Bathroom Makeover!!

Hi friends, things have been a bit slow around here and my posts have been rather scattered lately. You know, home and priorities must come first. But guys, I wanted to share the excitement with you!! We redid this main bathroom, last Spring, and I am delighted to share that it was featured on Wayfair in May! Say what?????? You mean, as in Wayfair.com, “One of the world’s largest online shopping convenience for home decor & furnishings?” That’s the only one! No kidding!

I was beyond ecstatic because when we decided to redo our bathroom, we were not hoping that a big brand or magazine would somehow catch it through mid-air and feature it. Not by any looong stretch of the imagination. All we wanted to do was to make that ugly thing go-away and have a brighter room and prettier space to look at! Light and bright was what we were hoping for in this small space and that’s exactly what we accomplished. This is the second feature this makeover has received with the first, being shortly after the completion. I have not told you about it. What I have learned from this bathroom makeover is that my home does not have to be the most polished to be featured by the most popular. I mean, have you seen the before? It caught your attention, didn’t it? LOL! It was like this when we bought the house.

The after though was well worth it. Some paint and the correct vanity lights were really all we needed to make this space pop. We truly loved the makeover and apparently, my little point and shoot camera (at the time) must have captured it well because so many readers loved it too.

If you are looking for ideas about choosing vanity lighting for your bathroom(s), you’ll definitely want to read this Vanity Lights Buying Guide and learn about why and how we chose our vanity lighting. While you are there, you’ll also find tips and inspiration from some other bloggers about choosing vanity lights. Even if you are not currently looking for vanity lighting, this guide would be great for pinning and saving for later or for sharing with someone you know is looking to update their bathroom vanity lights!!

A huge Thanks to Wayfair for featuring our bathroom and using some of our lighting tips. And as always, thank you my readers for your support to this small blog. Let me know in the comments which tip you think might be of value to you:)

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Birthdays & Parties

Kindergarten Graduation & Graduation Party

It’s true when they say that kids grow fast because they really do!! Our first little one graduated from Kindergarten a few weeks ago and we did a small party for her with some of our friends. Her graduation took all about 20 minutes but the teachers made it so much fun for the kids. I don’t have all the photos from her graduation ready yet, but you can see a little snippet in a couple of the photos below. Congratulations to our little one and to all her classmates, too!!

It was not a huge party as we were not going for huge. At first, we were going to do something just with the family but then we thought it would be fun to invite some of our closest family friends to celebrate with her. It was only moms with kids because the party was during the day (immediately after graduation), when all dads were at work except hers, of course. The kids had a blast running around, playing, and blowing bubbles while we moms chatted.

I kept things simple and stress-free with minimal decor and food. Even the cake was pre- ordered about a week in advance so I wouldn’t have to worry about it. Also, to tone things down, I went with a pink, white, and black color palette rather than using the typical Kindergarten colorful colors. What little girl doesn’t love pink? One cute table cloth, two banners, confetti, and a few other ‘graduation’ items were all we needed to decorate. Although I did make the banner that says, Congratulations, You Dit It! and I DIY-ed some water bottle labels. They were both super easy, did not take long to make plus I did them in advance to cut down on the last minute hustle.

The food comprised of take-out pizza (not shown), fruit, some gold fish, and cake. Our daughter wanted cupcakes so I custom ordered some from Walmart. They forgot to add the sprinkles – pink sprinkles for white cupcakes and white sprinkles for pink cupcakes. It was not a biggie but sprinkles make everything better for kids right? Anyway, here are a few photos from the room and table setup. The “Congratulations, You Did It” banner could be used for any kind of “accomplishment” party and is free for downloading here: Congratulations You Did It Banner. Find the tutorial for the water bottle labels further down.

To use the water bottle labels, first download the polka dot labels here: Pink Polka Dot Labels Printable and the hats here: Graduation Hats Printable (aren’t the label’s cute)? Then print them out on cardstock paper. Print a sheet for as much as needed. Next, cut out each label and each hat. Find the middle dot in each pink label and glue a tiny hat unto each one. Finally, remove the water bottle labels and glue a finished DIY label unto each bottle. Let them dry. Note: I used small fun-sized kids water bottles for the labels so make sure the labels would fit around your choice of bottles.

Hope you enjoyed the photos. I think keeping the party minimal on all aspects made things feel relaxed rather than stressed. It was so fun to watch the kids be themselves and just play and have fun together. Clean-up was a breeze – simply throw away all things paper plates and cups… and eat the remaining fresh fruit and cupcakes:)

Do you have a child or grand that graduated or is graduating this semester? How did you celebrate? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments.

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50 Fun Summer Activities for Kids

I know you were so excited that your little one or little ones were coming home for summer break. But after a day or two, reality hits you that you need some kind of plan. Because while you love your little ones, you know they need structure. Tiny kids don’t know better than just to be kids. I often wonder where they get so much energy. If you have little school-age ones at home, here are a few things you might want to try. These are only suggestions and things that I find helpful (or working one because I certainly don’t have it figured out).

Make a schedule/routine – I know what you are thinking. It’s summer! Why do I need a schedule or some kind of routine? Well, it’s not mandatory, it’s only a suggestion. At first, I had the same thought. I was about to throw schedules and routines out the door for the summer. However, after a day or two at home leading up to summer break, I knew I would need to create something. We have a Kindergartner on break with two small ones (not in school). The schedule or routine does not have to be anything rigid. Because after the hectic morning and evenings to and from school, who wants to have a rigid summer schedule? No one. Having some direction and order in which you’d like to carry out your day will help you and the kids. It will create less of a need to wander what to do to keep them occupied when they get bored. Again, all you need is just something as a guide. Not sure how it will play out yet but I am attempting:))

Make a chore chart – If your kids are at the age where they could do chores, it might be helpful to create a simple chore chart for them. One or two chores such as helping cleaning up toys or helping to wet the plants is all they might need. It will help keep them occupied and build some character.50 Summer Activities for Kids and Families
Create a list of summer activities – If you are wondering how else you are going to keep the kids occupied, consider creating a list of summer activities. I created this one a while ago (no kid was in school) but it gave me some ideas. It could be use for all kids (big and small). Download it here: 50 Summer Activities to For Parents and Kids

Schedule Naptime/Quiet time – I know it – it may be tempting to keep them going all day. Eventually, both you and them will get burnt-out. If you are not out all day and your kids are home, plan to let them have their nap and rest time. If they don’t nap anymore, quiet time is not a bad idea. A bin with quiet activities for preschoolers and a bit older (Kindergarten-ish) would be helpful. You may even consider creating a few bins for them to choose from daily.

Don’t over-do – Although it’s helpful to have some activities for the kids, summer is more of a relaxing time. It’s fun to do loads of activities but it is also great to have less hectic days too. So don’t stress and try not to over-schedule too many activities where it ends up being more tiring rather than fun. You don’t have to plan activities for all day every day. If you’ve got nothing, home is always still a favorite place to be. There’s nothing wrong with just hanging around the house and having some downtime.

Now for your thoughts. Do you plan to throw lists and schedules out the door while your kids are on summer break? Or do you find them helpful for little kids? What are your tips for keeping the littles busy while still creating some order? I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments.

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The Importance of an Effective Morning Routine (Plus A Peek into Ours)

Noooooo, NOT another morning routine post!! Doesn’t everybody has their own version of a morning routine? Why, yes. And that is exactly why I’m sharing ours:)

If you love to learn about other people’s routines to see what works for them, then keep on reading. If you don’t care for much about routines, I’m still hoping you’ll keep on reading and that you’ll see a bit of importance of having one.

Because a well-developed morning routine is essential to how you structure your day. It can affect what you do or how productive you may be throughout the day. Think of it this way: if you have a plan of action in place, you most likely would work toward accomplishing it. But if you start off wasting time, you’ll fall behind and find yourself trying to play catch-up. Has that ever happened to you? I’m aware that each day won’t be the same and things may come up. Yet, having an effective routine to fall back on will be such a huge help. If you would rather wing it or fly by the seat of your pants, then that is OK as long as it works for your family. Each family is different and each family has things that work for them and things that don’t. Personally, I love having an effective morning routine. It helps set the paste for the morning, cuts down on the chaos, and cuts down on the wasted time figuring out where to start. It also helps me to be more productive at home in the long run.

I’m a stay-at-home mom with one daughter in Kindergarten and two other littles all six and under. Our morning routine is based around getting the Kindergartner ready for school (though she’s finishing up now). Without a routine, we’d be scrambling daily to get going and we most likely would end up being late more times than we’d like.

Whether you stay at home, work at home, or work outside the home, developing a routine catered to suit you and your family is a great way to start your mornings. In fact, some of you who work may already have an unwritten/unofficial routine (though you may not know it). You may begin your morning with a simple routine such as this: setting your alarm to the same wake-up time each morning, exercising or walking the dog (we don’t have a dog), then grabbing a shower, getting dressed, maybe having breakfast or brewing coffee (if time permits), then heading out the door to work or you may grab breakfast on your way to work. That is definitely a routine. If you stay at home and don’t have any place to go, don’t work at home, and don’t have to take the kids to school or you don’t teach them yourself, it may require a bit more discipline to create a regular morning routine. That is not to say, you cannot have a workable routine for you and your family, though. It will just require a bit more practice and consistency.

Before the installation of Kindergarten, we sort of had a morning routine going. We woke up whenever (seriously, so much to begin with), although many times I was up way before the kids, had some quiet time, and did some blogging while everyone else was quiet. When the kids woke up, we started our day with cuddling for reading books and prayer, then quiet play while I made breakfast, ate and clean up, changed, then activities (at home or outdoors). Our outdoor activities took place mainly on Tuesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays we’d either go the store or library or a mommy class. And and Fridays, we did a fun activity such as going to a playdate with friends, visiting a local farm or amusement center, splash pad or drove to a park further away from the house. We had one directly across from our old home that we frequented but we choose others to go to on Fridays. More fun! Our somewhat of a routine was a huge help to the kids and to me to cut down on the chaos and brought some order into our morning.

But when our first daughter started Kindergarten in the Fall, that routine changed completely. We had also moved to a new location (about 10 minutes away) so that in itself was another change for us. That is the thing about routines. They do change based upon the events of your family. Here is what our current routine looks like. To be honest, I did not sit down and create this routine; it kind of fell into place once school started. We basically do the same thing each morning as we need to be up early and get going.

Try to get up early (at least 45 minutes) before the kids. Our day starts early, usually around 5:45 am – 6:00 am. That is pretty early for people who stay at home, I think. And because it gets brighter earlier now, sometimes I’m up as early as 5:00 am. (My husband gets up around 5:45 – 6:00-ish to get ready for work. Once in a while, a bit earlier if he has an early morning meeting).
Quiet time (read, prayer, sometimes check emails or sometimes peek at Instagram (probably not good), work on editing a blog’s post if possible).
Wake up Kindergarten daughter for school (if she is not up by 6:45 am). Our littlest would also wake up and I’d nurse him. Now we’re kind of outgrowing that phase.
Grab a shower and get dressed (while she gets cozy on my bed or on the couch).
Drink lemon water, prepare breakfast her breakfast & finish packing her lunch (I like to prep as much as I can for lunch the night before). If I did not have time to grab a shower earlier, I’ll get one here or at least get myself looking presentable before making breakfast and most importantly, going outside. I have to change out of that PJs and look outside presentable.
Drop her off to school at 7:30 am (AKA, the bus out the door).
Come back home to start the day with the other two kids. We either hang out on the couch for a little while if they are both awake, read a few books, watch a kids’s show on TV, or they may play quietly and I’ll start preparing breakfast for us right away.
Eat breakfast & clean dishes, brew some coffee.
Change the kids clothes, brush teeth, hair, etc.,
Start activities for the day. It may include some of these – chore(s), pre-school workbook, play dough, painting, craft, other activity, outdoor activity, etc). (Sometimes, I’ll have a cup of coffee and jot down a to-do list, if the kids are doing something quietly before I do something with them).

Every once in a while, we will tweak the routine based upon what we got going for the day. There are some things I like to get out of the way as early as possible. For instance, I may take the kids for an early walk to the park or we may do a quick trip to the store before getting anything else done. No exercise? While I am a big advocate for exercising, I really have not figured out a workable time to dedicate to it. Our walks through the neighborhood and walks to the parks are definitely helpful to keep us active. I’m also secretly hoping that chasing the kids around the house could for something:)

Once school goes out for the summer, we are planning to throw that super early morning routine out the door! We are planning to take much of a laid back approach and hopefully, the kids don’t try to get up before 7:45:) I think our one daughter who goes to school is tired of the early morning getting up too. She has grown to dislike it and would rather stay cozy in bed. Who could blame her? Not I (ha ha). In any event, I’m not quite sure how we will bring some structure into our mornings yet so that we don’t find ourselves wandering with absolutely no direction. But for now, we are just planning to be laid back.

Hopefully, that gave you a peek into what we do and hopefully, it helped you to see how having an effective morning routine could help you and your family. It will be such a help to cut down on wasted, chaotic, un-productive time and help your day to run smoother. Especially if you are a stay-at-home or work-at-home mom, you know how important it is to have something for you and the kids to keep your day from being chaotic (hopefully). Keep in mind that you should developed your routine based upon your family and try not to make someone else’s yours. That will be frustrating and you’ll get no where. If you know another homemaker or another person who seems to have it altogether, don’t stress over it. They may have extra help or their kids may be a bit older than yours and of course, have different daily activities. Trying to pattern your morning routine after theirs would only make you feel like much of a failure. Create a routine for you and your family that you feel would be workable for all based upon where you are and not where someone else is (if that makes sense).

How important is an effective morning routine to you? Do you go on the fly or are you more structured? I’d love to hear some of your thoughts on what your morning routine looks like (or not)?

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Decor & DIY

Shared Girls Bedroom – Completing One Corner At A Time

If you are here for a reveal of the girls room, I don’t have any. Like I mentioned in the previous progress post, things were not moving as fast as I hoped. Actually, the first 3 weeks I got much done as far as building and making over dressers and making a few online purchases. I even got some smaller DIYs done but things slowed down because well, home, kids, and other responsibilities took priority. At that point, I decided it was best to just go with a flow that works for all and not just for the sake of having something to show on the blog. Do I want to have the room look pretty and function for the girls? Totally. Was I making any progress before jumping into the commitment? Questionable!! But maybe committing to transform it with the ORC dates was too impromptu. I do believe the ORC timing is completely do-able though and a room (especially if it is not a full remodel) could totally be transformed in that time period. It happens all the time, even for full remodels. But lots of folks have some help. I hinted in another post how we transformed our first fixer upper house in 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS – Full Remodel! Long days and nights and days off from work (on my hubby’s and a friend’s part). I do wish I had the before and after photos to show for it:)

I know what you are thinking. You probably have home, kids, work, and all kinds of things going on in the midst of a room transformation. Sure thing. But each family is different and what timing may work for one family may not work for another. Plus some may have additional help to get things done at a reasonable timing. But one can try. And don’t forget, I’ve completed another ORC challenge before (with help of course).

Anyway, I’ve been taking it slowly and working on the girls room one space at a time, keeping the overall plan for the room in mind. I was going to show a reading and activity corner for the reveal. However, everything else is done for that corner except one main piece that I ordered did not yet arrive. I should have it by now but so far, nothing. It should be arriving between the next two days but then I felt like, it’s OK to not struggle to post something for the sake of it. I think it was the best decision to step back and it has helped cut down on some frustration. Also, I decided to forget about what others will think about me if I did not finish the room during the ORC. The same ones who may laugh at me are the very same ones who were not cheering me one anyway.

If you were following along and feel disappointed, I do apologize. I hope you understand. I do have two pieces of furniture I’ve done for the kids room during the earlier weeks, here they are. They really turned out well. Also, I did some other DIYs on smaller scales. I do not have the tutorial for any of these large or small DIYs typed out yet.

Small Chair Makeover

Dresser Makeover

If you would like to see the spaces of the completed rooms from designers, head over here. And all of the guests participants here. There are some beautiful transformations. Have you started projects before with the intention to finish them by a certain date but had to let them go? I’d love to know in the comments.

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Decor & DIY

Breakfast Nook Reveal Plus What to Consider When Searching for that Right Breakfast Table

Our little breakfast nook is definitely one of our favorite spots to eat and do kids activities. We couldn’t love it more.

Hi guys, today I’m sharing our breakfast nook with you. It’s a post that has long been in the making but got pushed aside. I started writing it a while ago, however, other responsibilities and some other posts got in the way. Those of you busy mamas may have an idea of what it means to prioritize for the sake of everyone’s benefit. But I’ve got the post done so I’m sharing it with you.

When we first moved in to this house, we used this table (photo below) as our breakfast table. It was a $10 Craigslist find for our previous home. Our kids activity table needed a replacement after many many uses. I searched for a new one (with chairs) but they all seemed so pricey and I did not want to spend a ton. Any of the ones that were turning up cheaper looked too small for growing kids, especially for our daughter who was turning 5 years old at the time. When I saw this one for almost nothing on Craigslist, I thought a makeover would spruce it up some. If all failed, it was only $10 after all!! The kids ended up not using it as much as they did the other one. For one, I think it was just a little too big for the tiny space I had it set up in and it just did not work out as I hoped. During our move, we took it with us and it ended up becoming our temporary breakfast table and dining table (the chairs around it are from another dining table we owned). The table fell apart during “the Fall” before we got a new one. I threw it out and began searching intentionally for a new one. By then, we had already got a set for the dining room but it made sense to have something smaller for everyday meals and also to fill that big empty space. In addition, it was so helpful to have the kids do activities right here in this area whenever I was prepping meals and they wanted to be closeby.

A few months ago, I shared this image on Instagram and said I was looking for “the perfect little table” for the breakfast area and one that would stand up to kids activities. I also wondered whether we should keep the shape round, square, rectangular, etc. Some of you followers gave me suggestions of where to look for tables that might be kid-friendly. In the past, we’ve searched for formal dining tables but I did not have to worry about kids doing activities on them since they had their own little table. This is the other small table that they’ve used here in this house for their activities. They ‘ve also used it for meals at times while the rest of us stood and eat.. lol.. and while we searched for a new breakfast table. Not like the dining room is a mile away:)

Anyway, my husband thought it made sense to replace the breakfast table with another round table because we did want any thing too big and in the way. During my searching though, I wondered if I should pick any shape. Here is why. Good round table sets are not priced cheaply. My hard-working hubby wanted me to get a new one and although we considered the decision an investment. In the grand scheme of things, it was not necessarily a huge investment but it was considering this is just a breakfast table (and opposed to shopping on Craigslist). I loved the idea of a new one but when I saw how pricey they were I thought I could save a few dollars if I checked Craigslist and found one (it’s easier for me to look there as opposed to thrifting around). This time, I was not looking for any old table. It had to be in excellent condition but at a reasonable price. Well, excellent condition at a reasonable price probably was not the most reality. Ha ha.. Most of what I saw was costing as much as a new one. So I thought, hmmm, let’s go with the new one. I’ll keep searching. . . . every site possible until I find that right one. My husband did some in-store searching (IKEA and other stores) but the reality of frequent driving around to find a table was not going to happen. Online is always great!

When the prices for a round set was looking too high, I began to expand my options to mix and match sets (buy the table and chairs separately). I also began to look at rectangular tables and various other shapes and designs. I even looked into plain tables with colorful chairs. Purchasing separately meant that I had to find the right style of chairs to go with the right table. To be clear, I found some fabulous options but purchasing separately was still turning out just as high or even higher in price than just getting a set.

In any event, I decided to go with this set. It’s the Dorel Living Aubrey 5 Piece Pedestal Table with Napoleon style chairs. I’d seen this set early during my search but did not want to rush to get it without seeing what else was out there. I wanted to look around at various options from many places before narrowing things down. It turned out to be such a beautiful choice. The chairs are beautiful although I don’t know that they would have been my overall first pick. Looks to me like most of the affordable table and chairs are the basic Farmhouse style.

But I tell you, searching for a table set is not easy. Here are some things to consider if your need arises to get the “perfect” breakfast or dining set:

Do I want an already made set or do I want to choose the pieces?
Flimsy? Durable? Kid-Friendly?
Material – wood, laminate, glass, marble, metal
Style – antique, traditional, industrial, modern, rustic, etc
Shape/Design – round, square, rectangular, oval, etc
Size – amount of people intended to fit, how tall, how low, etc
Measurements – How big is the space where the table & chairs will go?
Cost – Hhow much are you willing to spend on this? Is it worth the money?
If buying online, consider all the above options plus more such as: delivery options and the possibility of having to return it if it arrives cracked or broken, etc.
Overall Care – Is this set easy to care for? What kind of cleaning solutions could I use?

There are so many options to consider (who knew) but just make sure whatever you choose, it will work well for you and your family. Hope these tips were helpful.

Overall, we are very happy with the set. We’ve had it for a few months now and it is doing great!! made from wood. We were not trying to invest in laminate plus we thought metal may have not been too kid-friendly. It’s sized at 41.8 x 41.8×30 inches and meant to fit 4 people comfortably. We simply pull up a spare chair when we are all at the table. One day we were eating dinner and one of the kids said, “Mommy, you know what I like best about eating?” I imagined she would say the food. But no. She said, “That we all sit together to eat”. I mean, that comment alone made the table totally worth the investment.

The set has a beautiful stylish modern-ish finish and the white stands out and contrasts well with the brown colors in the kitchen. Apart from it being a favorite little breakfast (and dinner table), the kids use it for coloring, playdough, and some crafts. Bonus: Although it is white, it’s very easy to wipe off and does not keep food stains.

Oh I almost forgot to tell you that we ended up getting this set for $150 less than the original price. When it arrived, it had just a tiny crack at one of the joint areas. We called in and they gave us 40% discount! $40% discount you all! That is way more than enough. It actually made us feel even and that we didn’t waste our money if the table were to come apart. But as you can see, it is totally perfect!

This rug, we found it from At Home stores. I think I’d noticed it during some of my trips to At Home but did not think I wanted to buy it. I love the color and so far, it’s working out very well in this little space. I also shared it on Instagram and so many liked it. There is a padding under it to keep it from sliding. It has helped much. You can see it in this post.

This little desk also came from At Home stores and holds my kids art and coloring activities. The kids do activities on the breakfast table so having something close by is ideal. This desk keeps everything organized and tidy. You can read more about it in this post if you’d like. Looks like some of people really like the idea because it got quite a few pins.

And how about that pretty canvas print? I snagged it at Home Goods for less than $20. While I was looking for a breakfast table, I was also looking for art for this corner (and for the rest of the house, too). I don’t know what it is about me finding art pieces at Home Goods. I always seem to find ONE piece on sale that really clicks every time I go into Home Goods and check the wall decor isle:) That brush paint print at the bottom is from Etsy. And for the table toppers, the small ceramic gold vase is from Hobby Lobby and the mums were a birthday gift from my hubby.

So that’s the story of our breakfast nook. We couldn’t be more pleased with this little corner and we’re so glad we decided to invest in a breakfast table rather than some old rickety type table that may fall apart. It is very functional too in that it saves us from dragging all our breakfasts and dinners in the dining room for each meal and helps the kids to have a wider space to do their activities. I was working on the overall kitchen spruce up to show you how everything flows together with the breakfast nook but one thing at a time for sure.

What do you think of this set? What else would you consider when searching for a breakfast or even a dining table with chairs? I’d love to know your thoughts.

Affiliate links were used in this post. I will make a few pennies if you make a purchase through any of these links with no additional charge to you.

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Girls Shared Bedroom – Updates for Weeks 4 & 5

I’m back with a little update about what’s going on with the ORC challenge that I started a few weeks ago. I’m a little late with this post but if you are following along, you may have realized that I have not posted about the ORC in two weeks. I thought I should explain why since I had a few new readers checking out the progress and updates.

Looking at the room as a whole gave me an idea of how I should do the makeover. At the same time, focusing on too many corners of the room all at once was not working out too well. Let me explain a bit. I was working on gallery walls, reading area, play area, dresser makeover, wall spruce up, curtain switch out, purchasing mirrors, doing printables, etc. All of those little things could be done within 6 weeks if that is all I was doing or if I had baby sitting while I put more focus on the room more. But between home and taking care of kids some stuff needed to be put on hold. While in theory it would have been nice to knock out a project or two each week to get things done, I just had to cut the frustration (on my part) by working on each little part. The reading area took priority over the rest of the room since it is the first corner you see when you open the door. I wanted it to look presentable and I want to encourage the kids to read.. . a lot. Our kindergartner is really into reading and learning words; I thought this might help to be a motivation to her. So a reading & activity corner is the only thing I plan to reveal for the ORC reveal week, if get everything done.

This may seem silly but today I’m sharing the progress for weeks 4 & 5 in one!!

I ordered some wall decals for the room about two weeks ago and we were only able to get them up on the walls just a few days ago. I ordered them from here. But this all goes back to my point of having to put other responsibilities first and just let some things go to avoid more frustration.

I pulled the dots idea from this chandelier. I was not able to change it out so my best option was to pull colors and patterns from it and work around it. Also, I ordered some butterflies even though I’m not quite sure how I want to use them. I’m kinda over the butterfly wall decorating thing even though they may be cute. But just in case. I would like to show you how I used the dots but I don’t have the full tutorial typed out yet. Actually, I have about 4 or 5 more tutorials of crafts & DIYs I’ve done for the room but have not had a chance to write up the posts (again priorities took over).

That’s all I have for today. I do hope my explanation makes a whole lot of sense to you and I hope you busy moms of littles understand me. Thanks much for following along with this project. I know you cannot wait to see how the small reading area turned out. Ps. I can’t wait either!! Here is to hoping I could find some time to complete it. You can catch up on the previous updates by clicking on each link: Week 1/ Week 2/ Week 3/. You can also catch up on the rest of the ORC spaces from guest participants here and from designers here.

So tell me, have you ever started projects and stopped them mid-way to make room for other responsibilities? I’d love to know in the comments!!

Affiliate links were used in this post. I will make a few pennies if you purchase through these links with no extra charge to you.

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Choosing Beautiful Watches for Women – Mother’s Day Gift Idea

I’ve received this watch from Konifer Watches but all opinions of the product are my own.

Let a mom or someone meaningful to you feel special by gifting them a gorgeous quality watch for Mother’s Day.

I’ve got a thing for watches! But not just any kind of watches. Along with telling the time, they have to look awesome be of good quality, and accessorize my outfits nicely. I’m kinda picky about them. But it’s been a while though since I’ve personally shopped for a watch for myself. My husband has gifted me some beautiful ones which I wore all the time. On one of my recent cosmetic jewelry shopping trips it occurred to me that I had no watch!! I thought I would buy one but decided to wait and probably shop around some. I didn’t want to just pick any kind.. I wanted to like it. Then I discovered this online store called Konifer watch that carries quality watches both for men and women. They were willing to let me try one of their watches. Because I love watches, everyone of them looked good to me. But I narrowed it down to the Ceramik watch. The color caught my attention and I loved all the good qualities about the this watch.

It’s made of wood with ceramic pearl and white details. Hence the name, Ceramik. It is totally natural and eco-friendly so it would not be harsh on the skin or on the environment. It’s also water proof and scratch resistant – there would not be any need to worry if you forget to remove it during chores such as washing dishes. I also love that the band can adjust to fit any wrist. Ever had a watch where the band kept stretching and stretching and eventually fell apart? Or the kind you were afraid to let a drop of water fall on because it might get ruined? You know, the cheap kind? Not so with this one. It does not look or feel flimsy. It’s a beautiful watch with beautiful qualities and the finish is made from smooth satin oil making it look very modern and classy.

A watch like this would make a great gift for the mom who is all about good quality and all-natural yet beautiful timepieces or a gift for any lady who loves beautiful watches. Konifer watches has various styles to choose from. You can browse the styles for women here or see the entire selection of watches both for men and women by clicking here.

What do you think of this watch? Do you love good quality watches or are you one who goes with any watch as long as it can tell the time? I would love to know your thoughts in the comments.

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Decor & DIY

Customized Mother’s Day Photo & Art Gifting With Framebridge

I’ve received products from Framebridge for this post. All opinions of the gorgeous products are 100% my own.

Hi friends, if you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed my constant talk about some blank walls we have around the house and how I want to fill them up. I hope you are not tired of hearing about them yet because I’m about to talk about them AGAIN!! Anyway, since we moved here, I’ve not done much with the walls at all. I have a few photos of the kids and a couple decorative pieces on the walls but that’s about it. Moving does that to you. ‘You’ take all your stuff down from your previous home and they sit around in boxes in your new home until you eventually figure out where to put them. Or you get rid of the ones that do not really speak to your family but you’ve being holding on to them just to have something. Well, I have experienced both and either way, I am not one to love all blank walls like that in our home. I don’t necessarily want clutter and I don’t have to have every single inch filled up, but I do want to have things around the home that make it pretty and things that are meaningful and reflect our family. With this in mind, I’ve already been purchasing some pieces to create focal and statement walls around the house but it’s definitely taking a while in between busy. My two latest addition to the collection and by far my personal favorites are these two framed family photos from Framebridge. I mean, just have a look – aren’t they so beautiful? They make such a great addition to our home!!

You can frame two ways by either uploading a digital image to their site or by mailing in a physical piece and they will do all the rest including custom framing. It’s that easy!! You can frame: photos, artwork, kids art, kids clothing, INSTAGRAM photos, just about anything worth framing!! You can even just snap a photo of anything in you like (say flowers for example) and upload it to the site for framing!! I actually could not decide what to frame because when I popped on over to Framebridge, I just about wanted to frame everything!!! For real! At first, I wanted to frame my kids art work and choose their Rosemont Rose gold metallic frames. After much back and forth in my mind, I decided go to with some Family photos.

For mail-in orders, they will even send you a prepaid mailer to ensure your stuff is mailed to them safely. I’d like to add that the custom frames are not just any kind of flimsy frames you’ll have to replace quickly. They are sturdy and beautiful and built to suit any image you want them to frame. You”ll also be able to choose from a variety of styles of frames and choose the size of the print, too. Note: Keep in mind that the higher the quality of a photo image the bigger the frame could be. In addition, you can chose your style and color of mat – accent or floating. Give it all to Framebridge and they will do the work for you!! And did I mention how fast they will ship your orders? It’s like within 5 days, you’ll have your perfectly printed out Framed masterpiece! No more random ordering and wondering when your stuff will arrive!!

Make customizing gifts easy with @Famebridge #photos #art #mothersdaygifts #ad

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When our packages arrived at the door, we couldn’t be more excited! And by we, I mean me and two kids who were home when Fedex rang the door bell. I was actually kind of surprised that they arrived so fast being I had just ordered them the very same week. What is Fedex delivering? Did my husband order something? Imagine my surprise when I saw it was from Framebridge! Didn’t I order these like 3 days ago? I thought they were going to take at least a week!! Either way, we were just as eager to open them as we were to receive them!! Both framed pieces were very well packaged and all in one piece. The kids were very happy to see us all in the photos even though I had to ensure they didn’t break the frames. See their excitement for yourself!!!

When I ordered the frames, my intent was to put them in our bedroom right over our bed. But I spotted two already nails on this blank wall and decided to test them out to see how they look on the walls. We all were ‘wowed’ with the the look so I left them there to see my hubby’s and other kid’s reaction when they came home from work and school. It’s the first thing they noticed and were both just as excited as everybody else. These framed family photos really do make a statement in this room and the quality is top notch!! If you are wondering about the sizes, they are both 17″ x 11.33″ with the final frame size being 24.25″ x 18.58″.

They are some of our favorites. We usually take family photos at home during the winter months since all our babies are winter babies (photographer comes to our house). It’s not always easy to get all the kids to corporate for photos. But in this shoot, we brought it outside. The kids were all corporating (for the most part, the baby might haven gotten a bit tired) but even our second daughter (at 3 yrs) was just a happy go-lucky one. Something that she was not in our previous family photo shoot. Maybe it was the fact that she understood taking pictures more or maybe it was because we were outside. I’m not sure. But that face and the little walk of hers in this photo always get me. It’s like she was saying “let’s do this”!!

Not only is the quality of these customized pieces a beauty, but I chose the Mandalay Bamboo frames in gold (they have them in black too) on purpose. I mean, why wouldn’t I? You know, being an island girl and all, that gold bamboo spoke to me. I had to try it – I’d never had a bamboo frame before!! This makes it a bit more meaningful and reflective of our blended family. The gold itself is stunning and really makes the photos pop!!

If you are looking for a great place to add some custom framing to your home or to gift to someone, don’t hesitate to try Framebridge. Are you still needing to get mom a gift for Mother’s day? Why not frame something she loves? Maybe it’s a photo of her favorite perfume or flower or decorative piece, or favorite photo of her grandkids, or anything she loves. You can choose her favorite style and color of frames that she will love. You won’t be disappointed with the outcome and neither will she! You can still have it framed and shipped to you before Mother’s day if you use the upload feature right away.

Here is a bonus for you: you’ll save 15% of your order by using the code zan15 at checkout. So hop on over to Framebrige and let them do it all for you and make mom happy with a favorite customized piece of art.

What do you think about these customized framed pieces? Have you ordered from Famebridge before? I’d love to know your thoughts.

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Dinner

25 Quick & Easy Week-Day Spring Dinners

Looking for some new Spring dinner ideas? I’ve rounded up 25 quick & easy meals to make dinner simpler for those Spring days when busy schedules and evening walks demand and you want to spend less time in the kitchen. In the past, I used to share recipes (here on the blog) that I made at home. While the food itself tasted awesome and I got great interaction from the posts, my photography was not that great.. LOL! Even though I now have a better camera, getting a recipe ready to blog about just takes a little more than what I’d like to do. I think it’s OK to let the pros do it!! But we still love good food over here, though!!

One thing that has helped me prep great food and have something on the table in reasonable timing is a weekly menu. I’ve heard others mentioned how dinner menus taking them like 20 minutes to create. Not so with me. We do have some weekly favorites but we tend to get bored of the same stuff over and over so I love to find new when I can. In the past, I’d searched online, magazines, and and even cookbooks, for new ideas. The problem is that I’d write the recipe titles down (with the sources beside them) on a menu notebook and then discard the book once all the pages were used up – I’d have to start all over again. Anyway, I’ve now learned to save them. But it’s being a while since I actually have searched and searched for recipes. As our schedules got busier that got pushed aside a bit and I would prep the ‘good ole fashion’ regulars.

In any event, I thought some round-ups of quick and nutritious dinners for busy families would be great to add to the blog. And our menus and food ideas would be all in one place too. If you are a busy mom (who isn’t right) and you love to find some new quick and nutritious meals for your family, I’m hoping this would be a help. I’ve rounded up 25 meals that looks great for Spring! I’ve not tried them yet but they look delish, easy and will help dinner be on the table in less and no time!!

I know that Spring-time comes with added play and activities outside since the sun is up longer. This along with the already busy schedules between jobs, school, extra-curricular activities, etc. etc. it may be difficult to get dinner on the table in a reasonable time. We still crave that balance of eating well plus keeping up with everything else and getting the kids to bed earlier rather than later. Easy, nutritious meals will definitely help save some time in the kitchen and maybe even cut down on too much grab and go!! Hope you find something new to try – they all look so tempting! All images are created and linked to the various sources.

25 Quick and Easy Week-Day Spring Dinners (All photos

Salads

Chicken, Pecan & Cherry Salad

Via

Lemon-Avocado Chicken Salad

Via

Skillet Steak Wilted Kale

Via

Spring Garden Potato Salad

Via

Fajita Steak Salad

Via

Dixie Chicken Salad with Grapes, Honey, Almonds, & Broccoli

Via

Pasta Dishes

Spinach Pesto Pasta With Shrimp

Via

Spring Vegetable Fettuccine Alfredo

Via

Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss

Via

Chicken, Rice Dishes

Spring Green Fried Rice

Via

Chicken & Rice

Via

Southwest Chicken Cutlet Rice Bowl

Via

Texas Caviar Rice and Beans

Via

BBQ Chicken Fajitas

Via

Flavorful Chicken Fajitas

Via

Triple-Mango Chicken

Via

Spanish Chicken and Potato Roast

Via

Beef, Pork, Fish Dishes

Five-Spice Tilapia

Via

Gingered Beef and Broccoli Salad Bowl

Via

Pork Stir Fry With Snow Peas

Via

Other Dishes

Black Bean Quesadillas

Via

Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Via

Loaded Veggie Chow Mein

Via

Tri-Color Vegetarian-Stuffed Peppers

Via

Ravioli Lasagna

Via

Do you enjoy recipe round-ups like these? What are some of your favorite Spring dishes for dinner? I’d love to know of some new ideas!!

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Decor & DIY

Shared Girls’ Bedroom Update – With Do-It-Yourself Projects

Welcome back to another update on the shared girls’ bedroom. We’re making progress; probably not as fast as I imagined but the bigger stuff is out of the way so that really helps. During the week, I basically get nothing done. Although I think we could if I actually had the other smaller stuff on hand. But it would still require some carved out dedicated (get your mind in action) time to do so because I don’t usually focus well where there are too much going on. Sometimes the kids and I would go to the room and they’d play while I sit and figure out how I can tweak the plan a bit. That alone seems like enough on any given weekday because of the other responsibilities on hand (chores, kids, home in general).

I’m also linking up this room with the ORC challenge from Calling It Home blog. If you missed it, it’s basically a challenge to get a room made over in six weeks. Personally, I think 6 weeks to makeover a room is plenty of time if you are ONLY working on that room all day every day, kinda like a job. I mean, we made over our entire first Fixer Upper house in 2 weeks before we moved in. Well, my husband and a friend did but I chose designs, paint colors etc and took care of home and our kid). It was like a whole new place when it was all done and that was between my husband’s and friend’s job. They worked all night and took a few days off work to get things done – only two weeks. So one room is definitely doable in six if it is the ONLY focus. But when you are trying squeeze in a minute here and there between busy, then that’s when it becomes challenging. So hence my challenge and I don’t work well under pressure. But I love kids spaces and the girls’s room needed some functionality and a bit of beautifying!! We’re making progress though and the room is already looking good and like a different place with just the added furniture. This week, it’s all about a FEW Do-It-Yourself projects we’ve done.

If you want to see where we started, you can see them by clicking on the following links: Week 1/Week 2/

I’ll do a quick run through for some of what we got done during the busy Easter Weekend. I mean, between Egg hunts, brunch out, a dentist appointment, church, shopping, park plays, family walks, and everything else, we still got a few things out of the way. Well I did most of it. But it was helpful that we did not have to keep up with schedules since our Kindergartner and my husband had a day off. The kids cooperated and played nicely (sort off) when they could while my husband worked on some school stuff.

DIY Art: Art and I have something in common, I tell you. It does not have to be a Picasso piece to be art. So I decided to have the girls (and boy) do some art paintings for their room. The mix of colors do not go with the overall color scheme of the room but the kids wanted colorful, every color on hand. So colorful we did!! And we painted whatever they wanted to paint – just whatever, really. That painting in the background is not one of them:=)

I am working on some prints for the room but decided to check out my printable folder (yep, got one of those) and realized I have a few miscellaneous prints that I have been collecting. Our original plans was to do a gold and pink room so these collectibles were toward that idea. We’ll see how we could incorporate some of them in the room. This would be nice for a small whimsical gallery.

And the biggest accomplishment of all is this dresser that I made over. I wanted to put the full tutorial up on the blog today but did not get to it. It’s one thing to get a project done but it is another story to get around to writing the blog post. That will have to wait. But it turned out to be something beautiful!! I’ll share just a tiny peek!!

While I was in the process of painting the dresser, I decided to paint over this little vintage chair too. I picked it up at a thrift store last year for like less than $4. It’s not a bad little chair but I could tell it needed some polishing. I chose the white finish just in case it ends up in the girls room (more about that later too).

There were some smaller DIYs that I wanted to work on with the kids but we have not gotten around to them yet. Overall, getting that dresser project done was one of the biggest challenges so far; I’m glad it is done. Also, my biggest buys for the room are done too – the other dresser I recently bought plus the bunk bed that is a few months old. We’re not getting rid of it. All other decorations will not cost much – just a couple things to spruce up the space. I already ordered some and I’m in the process of ordering the rest and DIY-ing one or two smaller things. They are not must haves but they will bring the entire room together, ya know. Can’t just have a bed and furniture…. Gotta do the overall sprucing up.

~~A coordinating theme for the room~~
~~Clean out room~~
~~Decide on furniture placement~~
~~Purchase new dresser~~
Personalized bedding areas (In progress)
~~Kids DIY Art~~
Shared areas (reading corner, play center, etc) – In progress
Walls – Removable Decals & Decor (ordered)
Bed – Update bedding
Closet – Better Organization (In progress)
Curtains – update
Rug – (on hand)
Other – Overall spruce up

Anyway, that’s that. How do you think the room is coming along? I know, I only gave you sneak peeks of what we’ve been working on. Nothing’s on the wall yet and I don’t have the tutorials typed out for any DIYs we’ve done. But that is where we are. Don’t forget, if you want to see what progress others have made for the ORC, you can view them by following these links: ORC Designer Rooms and ORC Guest Participant Rooms. Have fun clicking around!!!

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