Simplifying~Kids Clothes Part II

I am feeling pretty good about the stuff that is leaving, making more room for life
and less chances to frustrate the kids with over-full drawers,
frustrate me when they don't put stuff away well, and no more wrinkles!!
I started with just 1 little drawer....

Yup, just 1 drawer and I had 2 piles of too small, ripped or stained!

That really motivated me to do the rest and I have all that above AND

 2 more BIG PILES!!

And one more big white bin I already took to the garage!
I don't know HOW I managed to collect so many pairs of pajamas for these kids who sleep in undies most nights but it was obviously too many!

I couldn't believe how much was too small, these kids have all grown at least a half inch since school got out in June!!

Hoping to participate in our local kids consignment sale in a few weeks and get this stuff outta here and make a little bit to help fund the next round.

I couldn't get rid of everything that was too big or just out of season, they each have a little bit of next season/too big stuff. I am keeping most of it in the closet that no one is using up above, out of the way but still accessible since we will need it faster than I want to think about.

Yes, these drawers look MUCH better!

And I REALLLLLY limited the girls clothes in her drawers, she wants to wear a dress everyday anyway!

I really think they all have what they will NEED, and that is really what I am going for.

Kids School Clothes Shopping

I know Back to School shopping sounds like a cuss word right now in the middle of July, but the best deals on basics are happening NOW or soon!

I have to do some prep before it's time to get to business.
 This is how we prep

~First we try on EVERYTHING! It takes a lot of time but sometimes they have little leg growth spurts we might not notice and I don't want to find out jeans are too short after we just miss a big sale.
~See what we have left, compare it to this (new) list, plan for what we need, then

~Decide on a budget.. and STICK to it! (that is the hard part for me)
Because I have overbought so much in the past, I only have to budget for jeans for all the kids, socks and a few other random things, plus a coat for 1 or 2 and leaving a little bit extra for something they might just really like that isn't on the list. I remember Back to School shopping was so fun as a kid, I want to keep it fun  but reasonable too.



Over the weekend we worked on this along with another daunting task!
We are finally officially moving the boys in together! Bunk bed on the way and whole do over is coming soon!

Can't wait to share all the progress we have made in simplifying, organizing and getting these boys settled in together! Just a few days away.

Once the shopping budget is set I will be watching the sales and ads and deciding what are we going to do with a whole empty room?!  I'm voting for a craft room (we will see how that goes over with the Mr.)

Simplifying~Kids Clothes

And I thought parting with MY clothes was hard.. nothing compared to kids clothes!
I am an addict, I admit that and I also hate that I do it,  I overbuy far too often. Sometimes I think our kids really have more clothes than they can wear.

I'm REALLY going to have to try this time, and it is going to be a 2 part thing for me, baby-steps in my addiction breaking.

Step 1.
Make a list of what they TRULY will need for back to school.

Yup, that's my list.. it will be SO hard but step 2 will help with the separation anxiety.

Step 2.
Keep a few backups for the inevitable stains, tears and lost items (and really to help me ease into this MUCH less clothes thing)

I have a lot of closet space I can fill with backups but shouldn't.
My plan is to put the stuff that is on the bigger side right now as the backups so they will get used when someone outgrows something anyway.

So my goal for the weekend is to have much emptier drawers and closets for these kids!
Y'all come back next week for the progress and my next step in Simplifying life round here!

Simplifying~Closet Organization

I said I was going to simplify some things around here, some of them will be more drastic than others, and I am sure our "drastic" is probably nothing compared to others but for us there are some big changes.

Our closet is THE worst, I am a sucker for a cute top, and for a deal. This leads to lots of excess. I'm working on getting better, cause I realize a "deal" on something I don't need is NOT a deal. Hoping to get a little back at the consignment store. I've got a bag with about 20 things in it ready to go to the consignment shop. It's not as much as I was hoping for but it makes a dent.

In going through my clothes I realized I was keeping stuff that was too big, that is cute but I haven't worn in ages, or at all.  I got hubby to try and help me, hoping he would be a voice of reason.. he wasn't... soo I am using the backwards hanger method for everything that is left. Once I wear something I will hang it back up the wrong way. Any tank top that wasn't worn all summer has got to go!

I better start wearing some tank tops!!

I think dresses will be my issue, and things have changed, I work out of the house now, and tank top style dresses just aren't gonna work in the summer like they would if I was home.
So I know some of those will not get worn this summer and I will have a hard time parting with them! Unless I wear them every weekend when I am not at work.

Next up is the kids stuff! Already working on a more realistic list of what they need for clothes and hoping I can stick to it!  Why is it so hard?! Girl stuff is especially hard for me.

Do you have a go to list of what you keep on hand for your littles?

30 Day Shred is Kicking My Booty

In order to meet one of my goals for the year and kick the last of this extra weight I was planning on going to the gym, but being away from the kids all day and then an extra couple hours was just too much. So I started    Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred again yesterday, DANG.. reminds me how much I don't love her after about the first 15 push ups!

I just do the quick 25ish minute workout first thing in the morning while the coffee is brewing. It's had me changing up a little of my morning routine and doing a little extra at night but it's worth it!

I can't commit to sharing everyday (and I am sure y'all would get sick of that) but I will try to share a before and after, something I seriously struggle with, and for sure will share pounds and inches lost.  I will probably share a little more on Instagram, come follow me :)  Brittaniecupcake !!

I don't expect anything earth shattering, but an inch or two off my thighs and I would be happy camper!

What do y'all use for at home workouts?

Back to School Prep

It feels *slightly* insane to even be bringing this up in JULY but, it's almost time for those retailers to attack us with not so subtle reminders that our wee ones are growing and that the backpack from last year might not make it another,  that if there was a pair of jeans without a hole in the knee left,
they are too short now. And that we are behind on our organization, 
need 2 extra boxes of pencils and that we are about to get even MORE busy. 

So I am not going to let the way cute back to school clothes, new pencil pouches and crayons distract me from what I REALLY need to do (like they usually do), which is keep my family on track! On track with saving, not spending just because, not buying excess no matter how cute it is. And on track with a routine that works for us, staying on track with organization around our home.

Starting early with the planning, and doing a little here and there instead of spending the last week of Summer doing it all, I am just spending 1 day a week on these tasks and not letting it get out of hand.

Some of the things I need to deal with:

~Clothes.. what do we have, what do we need for the kids
~Schedule..for each weekday for all of us, we might be guilty of being too busy
~Breakfast/Lunch Planning...just updating this with new faves for the kids.
~Sports Prep..almost football time, 2 kids 2 teams 2 practices YIKES
~Garage.. just some tidying and organizing

My fave products for fast mornings



When I shared how June went, I said I was getting up a little earlier than before. Only 15 minutes but it makes a difference! Now I didn't want to lose that 15 minutes of sleep just to spend it on getting ready.  I shared a simple morning routine here, but honestly that was feeling like too much time too, so I just really limited it to my few favorites. Especially for Summer! I like a very natural, but better look that is less then 5 minutes to do and simple every time.

I cannot get over this clinique moisturizer, it comes in a few versions, but it's the even better series, it's expensive but a little goes a long way. I appreciate the sunscreen in it, especially now when it's so hot and sunny. It absorbs fast and doesn't feel greasy at all.

If I have time and feel like I need a little face coverage, which honeslty is not often, I prefer a bare face to a face full of makeup on most people. But I do keep some Bare Minerals around for a bad day.

I use this clear mascara on my eyebrows everyday, they can get out of control and this helps them behave a little.

Eye shadow, just 1 color, nuetral but covers well, I know it looks really pink here but it goes on sheer and just a little shimmer. I love the E.L.F. brand, comes in other colors too. If I am short on time I just use my ring finger and spread it around real good otherwise I use a concealer brush. I love that once it sets it stays, no creasing and no extra powder to clean up.

Eye Liner.. SO didn't think this would make the cut but I really love how easy this goes on, stays on and inexpensive enough to use it everyday, I can only do liquid eyeliner, something about the pencil or crayon style just does not work for me, I like a super thin like that is barely noticeable. This E.L.F. one has a tiny felt tip on it that works amazing for me.

Mascara, I feel like it finishes off a basic look. I prefer this one because it doesn't make my eye lashes feel crunchy, they still feel soft and flexible and not flaky, and its not chunky AT ALL. And it's been discontinued, I am not sure which ones to check out now.. any recommendations?

Perfume, makes me feel ready to go, so silly but it does.

And thanks to this dry shampoo mornings have been SO much easier!! I didn't think dry shampoo would ever work for me, but I am loving this, my hair feels fuller and looks better on days I use it vs. days I wash/dry/style. I have tried 3 of the Batiste ones now and loved 2 of the 3, the one for Brown hair with a little tint I did not like at all, took it back and swapped for the cherry one. The coloring in the brown one made my head kinda itchy I think.

And once in a while I will use this lip liner, same color I have used for 15 years probably and I am loving the lip butter by Nivea right not, it's in my purse but I don't like a real heavy line, just a tiny bit that blends in well with the lip butter.

I got rid of SO much that was I was keeping for no good reason. I love that since I got strict with myself it all fits in the medium size of these soo charming makeup bags!

 I was telling myself I needed to keep some for special occasions and all that but even if we are going out or something, I always end up with the same basic, tried and true look so I made some room and feel way better about it. Especially because in the grand scheme of things, makeup is cheap. If I really needed something I can get it.

If you use instagram, check out the hash tag #igotdressedtoday or #ootd, those are my 2 favorite. I haven't been doing it much lately but I love to see what other people are wearing, how they are styling their hair, all that stuff. The only problem I have with it is that I feel like a total dweeb taking my own picture.