Keeping Children's Clothing Under Control

    

 As a mother of 5 children ages 7 and under keeping a closet full of clothes that still fit and are not torn to pieces/horribly stained can become quite challenging. I routinely go through each article of clothing for all of our children to make sure everything they have is getting use and not just taking up valuable space; especially the closet where all 3 boys share! If we had a 6 bedroom home where each child had their very own closet I would most likely still keep things this simple =). Our boys used to have all types of colorful stripey pants and bold designs on their clothes. The problem for us was these types of clothes only matched certain outfits. So if a shirt was dirty and the the pants clean or the pants ripped but the shirt still intact it would kind of ruin the outfit. About two and half years ago we decided our boys would only wear solid colored clothes. This has helped tremendously and it takes absolutely no time at all to get our kids ready. They can even get their own selves ready without picking out anything mitch match!  I know this will not work for every family but this is what works for us =). This solid color only rule does not apply to our daughter and baby because there are just too many cute designs for girls and little babies =).
   Then there is the question of how many items of clothing does a child really need. The answer will be different for each family depending on the places they go and how each child plays...lol. We are so blessed in America that most children do not have a problem with getting clothes. There are yard sales with children's clothes for 25 cents and tons of donation centers full of clothes to give to those in need. Family members and friends seem to always be ready to pass down some clothes or buy new ones for birthdays and Christmas. For this reason I have absolutely no reservations about giving, selling, or donating our kids clothes when not in use =).

                            This is currently what each of our older boys have in their wardrobe. I know the warm up suit has a stripe on the pant leg but the colors are black and white and so it still matches most everything =).

2 pairs of pajamas for each child
4 pairs of underwear
3 pairs of socks
2 t-shirts
4 collared shirts
2 dress shirts
2 ties
1 belt
2 dress pants
2 jeans
2 warm up suits
2 pairs of shorts
1 pair of play shoes
1 pair of church shoes
1 pair of tennis shoes
1 winter coat

* I do plan on getting a stock pile of clothes to grow into once yard sale season starts!

Mama Bear's childrens' closet inspires me =)

7 Things That are Lost When You are Disorganized

One of my sweet friends asked if I would teach an organizing class next week! Of course I said yes and so today after church I sat down and came up with a list of 7 things you may lose due to disorder. You can lose a lot more than just matching socks....lol! This is not intended to make anyone feel bad.  I myself have lost all 7 of these things at one time or another =)

1) Time- Time is lost when you cannot find things that you need.

2) Space- Space is lost because there is clutter taking it up.

3) Money- Money is lost because you will purchase things you already have.  Additionally things you do have are more likely to spoil or become broken in a cluttered environment.

4) Blessings-Blessings are lost because we will not let go of things to give to those who are in need; because we are in fear of needing it ourselves in the future.

5) Good Relationships- Good relationships are lost as a result of not being dependable to those we love because everything around us is in disarray.

6) Opportunities - Opportunities to serve others are lost because we cannot pull our own selves together.

7) Sanity- Sanity is lost as a result of losing items 1-6.

Here are some examples from my own life!

1) Time: Just this morning I could not find Rachel's other church shoe and so I looked for about 2 minutes and came up with nothing. I had to run upstairs and get another pair of shoes. That cost me about 3 minutes which can make a big difference on Sunday mornings. I still haven't found the other shoe! I think I will go look under the couch after I am done typing this....lol

2)Space: In one of our homes we rented I kept this huge armoire in the living room because it wouldn't fit up the stairs. It bothered me the whole 13 months we rented because it took up so much space in the living room!

3)Money: Yesterday my sister was over and asked for some Hummus well she found some mold growing on it ....so sad I know!

4) Blessings: I have two dresses I cannot wear now since I am nursing I know my sister wanted one of them but I don't want to give it to her....lol. I could possibly be missing out on a blessing....lol...but seriously I really try to go through our house and see what we can give so often I cannot think of a time I hoarded something someone else could use!

5) Good Relationships: My husband is sometimes very frustrated and I know why.....I let the kids pull some toys down stairs or didn't sweep up after a meal. These are small things I know my husband would like done around the house and so when I don't follow through it causes some strain in our relationship because he feels like I am not dependable all the time.

6) Opportunities: Last night my sister was here and she asked if I would help her daughter start some of her laundry for her and I said you will have to wait until I am done cleaning the downstairs first. As a result her laundry didn't get done and we handed her over half wet laundry this evening she will have to finish somewhere else. When we prepare and clean as we go there is no rush at the end and we should have "free time" to help others without the burden of what we didn't do for our own lives yet hanging over our heads!

7) Sanity: I was in tears last Wednesday because I felt like I just let everyone down because of the stress of letting my family down in not being orderly in waking up on time, exercising, cleaning the bathrooms, .....etc etc.

But Wait there is Good News that I am more than a conqueror through Christ and He will order my steps if I only allow myself to be led by His Spirit and Statutes!

Our New Church

We have gladly joined Hampton Roads Independant Baptist Church here in Hampton, VA. We are under the leadership of Pastor Roger Sebrell and are loving it although we miss our family back at Bible Baptist Church in Ash Grove, MO.

There are faithful men and women who serve the Lord and teach our children along with a few handfuls of bus riders.

The children had a walk through nativity scene last Wednesday night.

 Then on Thursday I hosted my very first ladies fellowship =)

 I haven't been here very long but I love each one of these ladies =)

 Mrs. Sebrell gave a great devotion and even had each of the ladies do a testimony based on the type of candy they picked from a box (ex. if you picked Almond Joy you gave a testimony about joy in your christian life)

We played some Bible Trivia for door prizes and had a white elephant gift exchange. We had lots of fun and I must admit I stole most of the ideas for this fellowship from my good friend Jill O' Neil ( pastors wife at Bible Baptist ). I am so humbled that God would surround me with such godly women and that I could glean just a little bit from each of them =). 

Rental Home Tour: Upstairs

Love the vaulted entry way view from the upstairs hallway!

This home came with the washer and dryer included!

The master bedroom

 Master Bathroom is really big!

 I really need to buy some diapers tomorrow!

 The boys room! Now we have a mattress for all 3 big boys with this super trundle bunkbed!

 Rachel and Gideon's room!

That's Everything =)

Rental Home Tour : Downstairs

God has truly blessed us with a beautiful rental property to call home for the next 11 months =). 

 I have a few Christmas decorations up and I am super excited the Ladies Christmas fellowship will be at our home this Thursday!

 

 Love these bar stools! They were originally $80 each but I got them both for $96 !

 
This is the most comfortable couch ever!

 This coffee table pops up to create extra dining/school work space when needed.

 Chris bought a smart TV; it is really pretty but I am still learning how to use it!

And our tiny yard! That is all for downstairs =).

Getting Settled in Hampton, VA

When we left Missouri in October this is all that we left with..... some suitcases/airbeds/important papers....etc. Whatever did not fit into our Honda Odyssey we either sold or donated.

So when we got the keys to our rental home we had some serious shopping to do. We shopped craigslist, took some hand me downs and also went to a furniture store, Wal Mart, Target and even Bed Bath and Beyond one night = )

Our first trip I think we had 3 carts full...lol. We had a good time picking out all of the things we were going to need in our home. We even ran into our pastor's wife who helped me convince Chris to get this colorful flowery rug....lol. =)

It kind of felt like we were newlyweds...except with 5 kids...lol.

 Lots of cubbies in the entryway =).

Everything looks beautiful and all organized just the way I like it =). So here are some photos so you can tour our home =). Of course I will do some detailed organizing post soon too =).

Ephesians 3:20

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

A Place to Lay our Heads!

 

 

     It is hard to believe we sold our house and everything in it that didn't fit in our Honda Odyssey almost 2 months ago! We have been so blessed to never go one night wondering where we were going to lay our heads! Since my husband is commission only sales, I am a stay at home mom and we have 5 children our rental options were severely limited! We had to pay cash for the the whole year up front plus 2 months security deposit at our rental home but Praise the Lord for His provision! We tried to find some cheaper homes that would be only $1,000/month in a neighborhood that didn't have beer bottles on the ground and people standing around. For that price range we were going to have to cut out square feet. We applied for a home that was only 846 sqft. we were denied because in the state of Virginia each person in a bedroom needs at least 50sqft each. The realtor took us to a few more houses and brought his measuring tape to measure the rooms..... lol. All the while we were staying in my sisters house which is only 800sqft.....we told the realtors this world is not our home and we didn't care for a big home.....but God had different plans once again! We were blessed to find a townhouse that is pretty much new with all the appliances included =). We got the keys yesterday but we are waiting on the power guys to come turn everything on =).  My sweet husband even took us furniture shopping last night =)

The boys are getting a bunk bed with a trundle bed on the bottom so they will all have their own mattress to lay on =). We are trusting God to restore our families finances by the time our lease is up at this rental home!

 

The last two months of our lives remind me of a scripture about our Savior and how he didn't have his own home during his ministry but still had peace and never murmured against God.

 

Matthew 8:20

And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

 

Praise God for a place to lay our heads!!!!