Disney's in the Desert

Mom Hack Monday: Drawer Organizers

When it came to getting Colly’s nursery drawers organized, I had a clear vision of what I wanted folded and put inside of them to help me as a newborn mom (again!). When it came to my own bedroom drawers, well, it’s been put on the back burner one too many times. My undergarment drawer was definitely tidy, but everything just got underneath one another.

I ran across this set of 4 drawer dividers knew it would help me accomplish my goal of cleaning up this drawer.

My dresser drawers aren’t very long length wise, so my space is pretty limited. I was able to fit 3 of these into my undergarment drawer and divided them by: bras/sports bras, underwear, and socks. The 4th divider that says its for bras/shirts/towels on the listing didn’t fit was given to my husband (I chose one that I wasn’t too sure what I’d even use it for, even if I did have the room, since I put my bras in the one labeled ‘scarf/belt’) with the longer dividers in between and now he’s using it to separate his shorts. Win!!!

The guide of suggestions of what to use this for is a good reference, but as I said above I didn’t follow it specifically since my needs are different and it worked out just fine! It’s totally subjective.

A huge, huge tip that I often share when it comes to organizing or reorganizing a space is after you take everything out (+ CLEAN the space) make 3 piles: toss, donate, and keep. It will be sooo much easier when you go to put things back in their new home!

Hope this sparks some ideas on how to clean up your undergarments (+ more!) drawer! I’ve already recommended this set to some family and friends. It’s one small step to control the chaos and state these drawers can often take shape of since we’re in them so much. Happy organizing!

Mom Monday: Honey’s Closet Makeover

Do you ever have something on your to do list that seems almost impossible to check off? For me, I’ve definitely had several of these since the pandemic started, but a big one was tackling Honey’s closet. It became a massive catch all for all of her clothes (obvi!), accessories, hair stuff, toys….the list goes on and on.

Her closet last year 😳

I actually started collecting baskets/bins/organizers in early 2020 and some of them were put to use and have been awesome, but then the clutter piled on top of it. So while *some* were functional during this time, accessing them was another story. I also bought some cheap peel and stick wallpaper for this small space to give it a little touch of style (and pink, of course!) back in 2020 too. Thankfully it was right where I left it…in the bottom of her closet 🤪

Everything I used is linked in the above graphic HERE.

Last week I finally got motivated after we came home from her preK graduation. She can’t be going into kinder in 2 months with her closet in such disarray! 🥹 I’ve talked about this before, but one of the biggest hurdles of starting any organizing project sometimes is just starting!

So, I decided to dive in! I began by clearing everything out and disinfected the shelf and dusted what was on top. I only did this to the left side (the right isn’t as bad, but could probably use a little TLC). I hung the wallpaper and lined the shelf with a similar peach colored paper and purged anything we weren’t using or was too small. TIP: It helps when you make 3 piles when going through a space that you want to reorganize: keep, toss, donate.

I also added this white frame with a cute/fitting saying for her (Sweet Like Honey), and an antler wall hook that I’ve had FOREVER that C painted blush for us to hang her necklaces from. Her other jewelry and hair accessories all went into my fave containers with lids. TIP: it helps when everything is uniform. I understand organizing products can be pricey especially if you need a bunch at once, so spacing out purchases helps. When everything you use is the same style/type, it really makes the final product SO much cleaner looking.

I keep her shoes, hats, purses + overnight bags in these canvas bins below her clothing. They’re a game changer! They come in multiple sizes and styles, which I love. I use them in our primary closet and the other kids’ closets, too. It’s easy to maintain these too since they’re not on “display” and you can toss them back in when they’re done and no one can see ☺️

I also added her fairy door (the one I used is sold out so I linked two similar ones HERE) because her room is pretty crammed. Furniture covers a lot of the wall space and there isn’t much open, so I thought having it in her closet would still be magical!

Like I said, I still have to tidy up the other side of the closet + go through some more clothes that she’s outgrown or we are saving for Colly, but I am so pleased to have this project done! She can finally use her closet the way she needs to and that makes me one happy mama!!!

Remember that maintaining is important and a major key to keeping your space/kids space organized. It takes some work on both of your parts (taking the time to put things away when they’re clean, and showing them that putting things back where we got them from is important!) but I promise, it’s so worth it!

Mom Monday: Girls’ Toy Faves

These little aerobic stuffies are sooo cute!!! The girls got these this spring and Hun loves to play make believe with them.

Lately the girls have been playing together more and more – and it’s safe to say it’s my favorite thing ever. Colly is still very young but Honey talks to her just like she would another friend or sibling (but sometimes will use her ‘awwww, she’s so cute Mama!‘ voice still to her haha). My point is she explains things to her, includes her, and teachers her how things go or work.

A few of these things we’ve had since the boys/Honey were little and they’ve continued on in our fam now with Colly loving on them! If you have littles who are close in age or even have a little gap, I feel like many of these can get them playing together.

I’ll quickly highlight just a couple to give you an idea of their interactions with them! Most of them spark imaginative play and independent play 🙌🏻

One of Colly’s first “big girl” toys she really took to were these Cabbage Patch Cuties (baby dolls). Hun has had several over the last couple of years so she’s had quite a little collection from the start. For Christmas, I grabbed this wooden stroller to go along with the one Honey has had for 3+ years so they can put their babies in and play! It’s been a hit, even though Colly isn’t walking yet, she totally recognizes it and that the babies go in there and will place them in. Once she starts taking off I know it will be even more loved, just like when Honey was that age!

Picasso Tiles are newer to us, but something that actually all 4 of my kids really love and something I’m chalking up as a total #momhack. My kids are quiet and play so nicely with these – giving mama a little break, haha. Colly isn’t “building” with them yet but she loves when they “clip” together and of course, chewing on them 😆 I recently just purchased another set of the windows and doors so they can build bigger/better. Picasso Tiles encourage creativity and also shape + color learning!

This Bluey house + accessories were something Honey received for her 3rd birthday and almost 2 years later she still plays with it weekly. Lately, Colly has been coming up and trying to grab the little pieces and put them in the house too. Hun is pretty specific about where things go 😆 so this has been a good opportunity for them to share, play together, and let go a little 🙃

Both KidKraft coffee maker + mixer are super loved by both girls right now. It was Honey’s before Colly was born, but before bed when we’re hanging out in the loft, Colly will try to crawl into Hun’s room where they’re stored and starts playing with them 😆 It is the cutest!!! We always say “she’s going to get her big girl toys!!!” when she crawls off toward that direction. We have them in Hun’s bookshelf/toy organizer and Colly knows right where they are, and perches her little self up to reach them and dig into the baking/coffee extras. Back in January I actually grabbed this princess coffee machine for Colly because I knew she loved Hun’s so much and thought she could have her own that’s a little smaller/makes noise. She loves it just as much and now both of them play with each of them together.

Green Toys + Hot Wheels have been a staple in our home since 2013 when there was only baby Conner, and all 4 have grown up with them now. I love how well Green Toys hold up and how many different vehicle options they have – they’re definitely our favorite push and go toys. Within the last month, Colly has started to take interest in our Hot Wheels basket in the toy closet but mostly to teeth on them or throw them around (if you watch my stories, you probably have caught this happening! 😆) Hun still enjoys the different cars and lining them up and racing.

Puzzles, of course, are also huge around here since the beginning as well. With each of my babies I start introducing letters/sounds/body parts/colors/shapes/animals around 15-18 months and these puzzles (along with our flashcards) have been a great way for them to “play” while retaining. We love the pretty pastel alphabet ones I picked up when Honey was younger, but also own these rainbow ones too!

This should go without saying but some of these things I can’t let Colly play with completely freely as they could pose as a choking hazard. Any of them that do, I usually take away for the time being and let them play with the larger items in it, or if she’s napping and Honey wants to play with them, then I put them back.

So that’s a little over view, but check out my full list over here on my LTK!

What are your littles into right now? I’d love to know!

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