Cupcakes Kisses 'n' Crumbs: 2023

26 December 2023

52 Week Organization Challenge 2024

It’s been a DECADE since the first time I did the 52 Week Organizing Challenge! Haven’t really looked back, made some changes, skipped some weeks/months, doubled up on some areas too. Overall though, I feel like our house is generally pretty organized, besides the Nintendo Switch, which I constantly lose because I remove it as an option for a while and I forget where I put it 😆.

Since it’s been a good fit for the most part, we are doing it again this year. If I remember to snap before pictures, I’ll share them. We are still getting settled so I wouldn’t say everything is in its place yet, but getting there.

Here’s my list for this year, super small items per week. I’m doing a little more though, not just organizing, or resetting, but Purge>Deep Clean>Organize. In a lot of cases I will also be making a list of things we need or to watch for good pricing on.

Let me see your spaces if you join!

*May contain affiliated links* I participate in Amazon Associates Program occasionally. I won't recommend a product I wasn't myself interested in trying or have tried. I may receive monetary compensation for participating. This does not change the price for you.

24 May 2023

Road Trip Must Haves

It’s been a bit since we’ve been on a road trip. Just reminding myself of all the things that make them go smoother and make them a little more budget friendly.

Feeding a big fam on the road can be tricky. Pre portioned bulk snacks in these. Cause buying the individually packaged snacks is a NO for the budget.

This one is going to be weird, well the next 2 will be weird. But seriously so handy. Unnecessary if you have a regular plug in in your vehicle already.

I cannot tell you how handy and affordable it can be to make grilled cheese, toaster waffles, bagels etc in the car.

And we use one (or 2) of these for many trips and some life seasons, just everyday.

Let me tell you how we do it. For starters, we never put the wheels on. It just stays put. On road trips we use 1 drawer for snacks (the top, easiest to get to from back seat)

Plastic utensils, napkins, baby wipes, paper cups and plates etc.

one drawer for things we need access to but not to have to dig for. Inhalers, bandaids etc. first aid kit.

The times we have been able to have 2, we made a breakfast drawer, kept the toaster in one with smaller plates. Garbage bags and other random things we needed but not every few hours.

These were great for our kids, we grabbed ours at Hobby Lobby but these foldable ones are so much more compact!

This upper storage is perfect for pillows, small blankets, stuffed animals. Those things they need but don’t want kicked out every time the door opens.

And all those small pockets are perfect for these

And these

And my #1 must have item

You will never catch me in a car with kids without these 🤮

Trust me. Worth it!

I’ve got a small collection of other items that are helpful here too!

02 May 2023

10 Amazing Halloween Mantels For Inspiration

I really haven’t shared anything about our new house since we moved in November. But one thing it’s lacking is a mantel, fireplaces aren’t really common here. We would love to add something eventually but we have a lot of projects already.

I definitely miss having that space for Halloween Decorating though 😟

I decided to share some of my faves and I might have to add some elements somewhere else in our house. I’ve got a few+ months before I have to decide, and who knows, maybe all the other projects will get done by then 🤪

I love the moon phases garland here Found one similar on Amazon HERE. And under $20 🙌🏻

This one is just my style of minimal. I also have the wooden table from Target and it’s one of my favorite pieces.

I love SO many of the small elements in this one. Giving some Harry Potter vibes without screaming it. The keys, the birdcage, owls and broom stick are all things I have in ours too 🖤

Farmhouse isn’t really my overall style but there are always pieces I gravitate towards. The metal pumpkins are adorable, found similar orange ones 😍

Black and white (and gold or silver) are so easy to look at for me, compared to the orange/green/purple.

Boho Halloween could be my new favorite aesthetic to search for 😍

I’ve got these all linked up on Pinterest along with SO many more. I have a weakness for Halloween Mantels and Halfway to Halloween, Springoween, whatever you call it is when I really start to get excited again.

13 April 2023

Bedroom Cleaning Checklist

I can tell you that Thursday has been the toughest day of our weeks for a few years. Which is why I do Bedroom Cleaning on Thursday. It takes maybe 10-15 minutes in each one and it’s just the easiest day and I need easy on Thursdays.

I say Tidy/Pickup/Put away because there are always things that don’t belong, in our room it’s kids clothes and homework. I also feel like I typically have a pile of hoodies, or tops I changed out of after 30 seconds but was too lazy to put them away right away.

Once everything is tidy, the 2 minutes to wipe down surfaces and clean the windows feels like nothing. Making the bed and doing the floor are what take the longest, but there is nothing better than a freshly cleaned and made bed 🥰

It gets easier the longer you do it. Not having to look at the list, it goes fast and I have a lot of my day left.

12 April 2023

Halloween Charcuterie Charbooterie Boards

I know it’s April, we are thisclose to Halfway to Halloween! There’s just too much cute stuff to keep it until Fall. I have been saving so many on Pinterest. I’m wondering if we can just have snack boards everyday in October, find them HERE

This one is so kid friendly!

😍 Love the black and dark purple theme here !

This spooky spin on a classic board.

Black and White are my FAVE for Halloween! These are both super cute 💀

Maybe Horror Movies are for you? So many creative ones!

Or kids Halloween Movies instead. Hocus Pocus is a popular theme

Breakfast/Brunch also! So fun! These little Waffle Makers sure take Breakfast to the next theme level

And the next few are my aesthetic favorites 😍

I’ve tried to link the ones with direct links and I’ve saved a TON more on my Pinterest board HERE

10 April 2023

Bathroom Cleaning Checklist

This is for sure my least favorite weekly cleaning day, we have 3 boys 😜 that explains why.

But it doesn’t actually take very long if I just start the process and let things work while I move along.

Spraying the shower/tub and toilet first makes it much easier when I finally get to those.

Then I just pickup anything that doesn’t belong in the bathroom, and trash (bandaid wrappers x40), laundry etc. I use one of THESE to dust with. It never needs much because it’s done weekly.

I make my own cleaner and use these bottles because I love the green. I use another e-cloth for counters and sink. And a glass one for the windows and mirror and outside of shower door.

Still letting the shower and toilet soak, I restock Q-Tips, toilet paper, hand soap, and anything else running low. I also add items to our grocery list if needed.

Then I spend a few minutes scrubbing the shower which is pretty easy after letting the mix do its job. The toilet is much the same, not much work.

Then I start a load of laundry, bath mats and towels.

We have a big rug in our bathroom, so I shake it out before doing the floors and usually I remember to water the plants 🌱

It typically takes me less than 30 minutes to get it all done. I will say the kids bathrooms have some extra steps and take a little longer. Because I don’t do theirs every week (they are plenty old enough to) when I do get in there, under the sinks usually need attention, baseboards need dusted, things like that.

04 April 2023

Family Room Cleaning List

I’ve always cleaned our Family Room/Living Room on Tuesday. Absolutely no reason for it, just seemed to happen. Probably started with days off, or preschool days or something. After Monday, which feels like a long list, it’s nice to have something easy. There are also some other things I do on Tuesday that I didn’t include on this list. Like watering plants and cleaning the 1/2 bathroom.

The Family Room doesn’t ever take too long during weekly cleanings, so I don’t mind the extra quick things too. Baseboards, window tracks etc. aren’t weekly, just as needed. I find if I stay up on them It’s never so bad that it takes a long time.

Did I mention we have a white couch, 4 kids and a dog who is ridiculously close to the ground? That means the couch is often in need of attention. THIS is the best spot instant remover I have found!

03 April 2023

Snack Prep School Lunch Prep

I’ve shared this a few times as we’ve done road trips and school lunch packing, but it’s truly SUCH a money saver that I think it’s important to share again and point you in some Amazon Prime options. My goals are to balance saving time and money while keeping our home life on track, these fit in well.

This doesn’t take an especially large amount of time, I feel like 10 minutes a week and a little forethought when you get groceries/order groceries, however you do that, and that’s it.

I’ll break it down by serving for just a few items we buy so you get an idea on WHY we do it.

Here is a list of snacks we buy in bulk and package ourselves. * add this to your Sunday night prep and be done with it for the week 🙌🏻

Yogurt covered peanuts

Yogurt covered raisins

Chocolate pretzels

Sunflower seeds

Trail mix

Fruit leather

Pretzels

Dried cranberries/raisins

Crackers

Cheese sticks

Cheese Whisps

Popcorn

Nuts

Nut Butter and Fruit
Cheese Bites
Olives
Chex Mix
Muddy Buddies
Pepperoni Slices

I’m also adding an alternative here in case you aren’t down with the plastics that won’t be reused much.

These are not only darling but the varied sizes are helpful. We have a few of the small ones and I’ve had great experience with them, no leaks!

28 March 2023

Back Yard Inspo

We have a clean slate backyard at our new place and I know nothing about Arizona plants or what will hold up in the heat 掠 I threw together some pics together not knowing if some of these will even grow here. Overall going for black, white and wood tones just like our last house. Finding heat tolerant stuff might be a little harder though 﫠

27 March 2023

Weekly Kitchen Cleaning List

It’s been YEARS since I’ve reevaluated my cleaning routine. Not only has it been years but it’s also been 5 different homes since then 😳. It’s time to update that, I don’t want to miss things and I also feel like I can get through it much faster when I have a list.

~Clean out the fridge and freezer. We always have stuff to go. ~Dishes. I get them all loaded as well as the microwave plate and any stove top grates or oven grates that can use a quick wash. We often just do a quick wash or a no heat dry to speed it up. ~Wipe down upper cabinets, hood and backsplash Nothing outrageous just spot cleaning. ~Wipe out fridge and freezer and outside of fridge ~Clean microwave. Doing it weekly means it never takes much effort. If we go a while and it needs help, a little bowl of water with some lemon or dish soap, run for a couple minutes really helps loosen stuff up. ~Stove front and dishwasher fronts ~Any windows or glass cabinets fronts ~Stove top. Ours always needs attention. ~Clean counters. I take everything off and get all the way to the corners. We don’t keep much on the counters though. ~Then I clean kitchen table and chairs… kids are messy ~Scrub sink ~Shake out rugs ~Vacuum ~Steam mop or spot mop depending on week ~By then the dishwasher is probably about done. Unload that, then do a weekly dishwasher clean and a disposal clean. ~Once the kitchen is clean I stock items we use frequently. Salt, pepper, butter etc. and then make a grocery list and meal plan for the following week. I grocery shop on Fridays usually so I give myself all week to plan and Laing for the following week. *May contain affiliated links* I participate in Amazon Associates Program occasionally. I won't recommend a product I wasn't myself interested in trying or have tried. I may receive monetary compensation for participating. This does not change the price for you.

21 March 2023

Sunday Reset - Sunday Prep

I’ve shared my short list below. Those all make sense to me but I wanted to explain a little bit.

Laundry-it’s only if someone NEEDS something for Monday, otherwise we don’t do laundry on weekends. Uniforms, work and teams both get a lot of use on weekends and sometimes they need it Monday too.

Meal Prep-If there is produce to prep, if I can make rice ahead of time, pack some lunches. Really look at the meals for the week and thaw anything that needs thawed. That helps so much in our grocery budget.

Clean Out Cars- Pretty self explanatory but I know after a week of games and weekend fun, it’s gross and needs some work.

Clean Out Bags- backpacks, lunchboxes, purses, game bags, beach bags. They all have snack wrappers and trash in them, and hopefully no banana peels 😜

Tidy Devices- This doesn’t take me long, I don’t even do it all at once, just throughout the day. I delete emails I don’t need, screen shots, photos, items I saved to read later, that TikTok recipe that was a flop. Any digital clutter from the week that I can be done with.

Self Care- I put off managing eye brows, cutting kids nails, deep conditioning, etc. all week because it is TOO much during the week, and I know Sunday is usually slower and I can get it done.

Fill Cars - Gas, I hate getting gas. Usually I can’t make it Sunday to Sunday but if I can, I love that I don’t have to get it. Waiting until Monday is the worst choice I have ever made for myself. It’s always busy.

Fill Supplements- I don’t know about you, but if I have to open 1 thing instead of 5-6 I am way more likely to get them in. It also helps me track stock and remember if I actually took them 😆

So really it’s not CHORES it’s just little things that help my week go smooth(er) not necessarily smooth.