Which is why I’m dying to make the Charles Storage my next purchase, for our great room. It doubles triple duty – toy storage, chalkboard, side table. I’m all over it. Something to hide the sins of the little ones but the big ones? None the wiser. Too bad it’s out of stock. Guess some other parents are also onto the cleverness factor. Bunch of smarties out there.

Shannon, you are the lucky gal who gets the very cool daily planner for 2010. Just shoot me an email at mtm@melissathemouth.com and let me know where you’d like me to mail it to and I’ll get it out to you as soon as possible.

Hope you enjoy it!

Ugh.

I am constantly wondering when it’s going to end? Am I ever going to wake up, look at that list and see a normal day’s work? Such as:

1) go to grocery store;

2) pick-up at dry-cleaners;

3) buy tights for Pea & Coco.

Instead, in addition to the above, add on:

4) finalize wills with attorney;

5) find new sales agent to handle Texas property;

6) finish labeling and organizing all files (personal and professional) in husband’s new file cabinet;

7) reorganize the lower level hall closet (formerly known as the Art Closet, now just the closet that I hide shit in)…

To you that might seem like not such a big deal? To me, it’s a thorn in my side, just a bunch of annoying stuff that has to be done, has needed to be done for a long time, and that I just can’t seem to get to.

And so instead of attacking that list with gusto today? I made labels using my newest obsession, A Print A Day, and then slapped them inside the covers of each and every book in this house that belongs to the girls. I have no idea why, other than I was dying to use the gorgeous (and free!) artwork that the artist puts up for our personal use. Just incredible!

So, in addition I finished updating Google calendar for the month of October. I love Google calendar. After years of searching for the perfect planner only to be foiled again and again by what I deemed stupid ideas that were not going to work for me, I gave up the paper and pencil (withdrawal, anyone?) once and for all and am now wholly committed to my many Google calendars, all synced up on my Mac.

Peace of mind. Seriously, I am in love with how organized life is becoming. I may not be getting to my To Do list as quickly as I would like to, but there it is, just staring at me from the right-hand side of my open calendar!

Anyway, about one month ago, before I really decided to commit and do the whole going steady thing with Google calendar, I bought a new 2010 planner that I thought looked pretty awesome. Check it out. I’ve since decided not to use it, for the sake of keeping it simple, you know? But the copy I bought is still shrink-wrapped, nice and neat and just aching for a new home for the New Year. Will your home be it? If you’re thinking yes, leave a comment on this post with your name and we’ll do that good old trick where we write them all on little scraps of paper and then one of the girls pulls the lucky person’s name out of a hat and I send along this very cool 2010 planner to that person. By midnight tomorrow (Friday), eastern time, okay?

From one trying-to-be-organized person to another…

Good luck!

Girls: Mommy, can we go downstairs and play?

Mommy: Yup. Just make sure to play with one toy at a time, when you’re done with it, put it away and take out another. It’s more fun that way.

Girls: Okay.

(cue the sounds of toys, dolls and art supplies being thrown all around the room; oops, there goes the dollhouse… crash!)

Mommy: Oh. My. God. What the? Who the heck is going to clean THIS up?

Girls: YOU are!

Mommy: Oh no, you are sooooooooo mistaken, my little mess-makers. YOU are both going to clean up this mess. Or else…

Girls: Or else? Or else what? We’re going outside!

Mommy: Stupid toys. Barbie shoes – why so tiny? Pfft. Who the heck needs this many books? And Legos? Why so many pieces? Ouch! I just stepped on one! Jeez, I freaking hate this. What? I have nothing better to do than to clean up after these people? Really? Come on, guys! Team players! I’m not your maid! Or your servant! Stupid toys. That’s it. I’m done. And another thing? Husband? While we’re at it? Put your stupid belt away and stop peeling off your socks and leaving them on the floor! Just grow up! This is not my life’s work! To clean up after you, either! What, I have three kids now?

(This last part? Is spoken to myself, with the muffled sounds of my girls running around outside, in the backyard. Not helping me clean up their junk. My husband? Is making monster sounds, chasing them. I, in all of my OCD-ness, am inside, organizing toys, finding missing pieces, taping up ripped pages in books, etc.

So, I do what any mother would do, or at least what I’m told any mother would do: the next time the mess is made, I threaten to take the toys away if they are not put back in their place at the end of the day, and put them in the Sunday Bag. Which means you will not see them again until Sunday. Got it? Sunday. And then, I do, again, what any mother would do. And I follow through. I stomp around the house, pick up the ignored and discarded toys, place them in a sac and throw them in a clever hiding place, much to the girls’ pleading of, “no! Not that one! It’s my favorite!”

And then? Well, you can guess how this ends, right? NO ONE REMEMBERS THOSE TOYS IN THE SUNDAY BAG EVER EVEN EXISTED.

Stupid Sunday Bag.

So, I have since gone through all of the toys in the house, found all of their parts and pieces and taken a careful inventory. Kid not old enough for it? Stored for later use. Kid not interested? Donated to a worthy organization. Kid outgrown it? Passed down to a friend with a younger child. And on and on. Now? Streamlined. Toys, games and books that I have deemed fit for our home, our needs, our tastes.

This story is ending up a lot longer than I’d planned, but here is Chapter 2:

Meaghan (love the spelling!) sent me an email earlier in the week, suggesting that I check out a book on Amazon that she just received called “Cool Spaces for Kids.” She thought I’d like it. And she was right. UPS dropped off my copy this afternoon, and I cannot put it down. In fact, Pea and I just spent the last hour pouring over the pictures, talking about which projects we should tackle, and when.

The premise of the book is basically the same rule that we are trying to live by these days: less is more. Imagination is good. And children should have special places – just for them – in and around the house. A place all their own.

Interesting timing, since:

my husband and I have discussed the empty flower bed in the side yard, and how we’d like to teach the girls about food by having them grow their own vegetables. We’re starting with lettuce and cucumbers (this is covered in the book);

I have been dreaming of clever (and attractive!) ways to incorporate a window seat into the stairwell on the girls’ bedroom level, just under a window that overlooks the mountain across the street (also covered in the book);

pup tents… I have had plans for erecting a couple for the girls, out in the backyard, this summer (yup, it’s in the book);

and lastly, a conversation with my husband, as we drove him to the airport this morning, about a project I’d love for him to take on: a toy storage box with a chalkboard top, for the great room. That’s where we spend most of our time entertaining, and although currently there’s nothing in there for the girls, save two cabinets full of books, the room always ends up scattered with toys at the end of the day, so why not an attractive way to house them? I showed him a picture of one, from a shop that I like. He said no problem. Upon returning home from the airport? The new book I spoke of above was at the front door, and in it is a project for this very table. And with casters! (Which I had also requested on the one my husband build for us, I think they’re not on the one for sale above. Not that it matters. Because my husband is making us one! With casters! Lucky us! And, see? It’s in the book!)

So, in a nutshell: cool book, great ideas, all easily (I think) doable. And reasonably priced to complete, as well. Fits right in with my – our – new philosophy on home style and lifestyle…

Simple. Elegant. Sophisticated. Kid (and dog!) friendly. DIY (on occasion). Not going to break the bank (always good).

I think we’re going to be busy this summer…

Enjoy your weekend. We’ll be writing up hardware store lists, ourselves…

Oh, I almost forgot… Thanks, Meaghan!

I don’t think they are difficult to make, but the outcome is fantastic. He hung the first one at the foot of Pea’s bed, and she’s in love with it as much as I am. It looks great. It’s very low-profile, neat and different from the expected basket of books that’d been housing her nighttime reads, on the floor next to her bed, up until yesterday afternoon.

And I could easily have bought this shelf, and not thought twice about it. But how much more meaningful that rather than simply clicking on the “add to cart” button, my little girl’s father handcrafted a similar shelf for her? In his own wood-shop? While she played in the yard, next to his shop, with her little sister. You can’t put a price on that…

I love that my husband is so capable. I also love that I’m steadily learning that there are things I can live without, that there are things we can make ourselves. We made a vow to try and simplify our lives, and it looks to me like it’s working. And sometimes, as I’m sitting in front of the television at night, my knitting in hand (I’m making my first official sweater for Pea – from this book), I have to giggle at how old-fashioned it all seems. I’ve always been a traditionalist, but I also have always been a huge consumer. If I wanted it, I bought it. And most of what I was buying could not be accounted for a mere six months after the purchase was complete. And that’s so sad, to buy just for the sake of buying. So, we promised one another that we are going to be more mindful of the things we bring into our home.

I still believe firmly in quality over quantity. I buy the best that I can because it makes me feel good, but also because I know that over time, that item will pay for itself. Quality lasts. In fact, I still have the first cashmere sweater my mother ever bought for herself, over 30 years ago. She passed it along to me a few seasons ago, because although she was bored with it, it was a good sweater. And I’m enjoying it now. And with a little extra care, it looks nearly as good today as the day my mother bought it for herself. Splurged on it, really, all those years ago, when I was still a snot-nosed kid in the single-digits. She couldn’t really afford it, she was a single mother with two small children, new to the workforce. But she bought it, and all of those years, she’d held onto it. Long after she’d actually stopped wearing it. That beautiful black cashmere sweater with the boatneck held so many memories for her. And now, the sweater holds so many memories for me. There’s a story in that sweater. And I’m reminded of it every time I see it. I love that.

I just caught Coco with a cornflower blue Sharpie pen in her hand, and I will tell you that those pens are going to be the end of me. They come in all of these tempting colors now, and for some reason, you can find them all over our house. And Coco had one, cap off, in her little hand, searching for paper. And I just knew what was going to come next… Sharpie pen lines all up and down the front of her dress. And while I am good with the laundry, no one is that good. It’s not coming out. And the old me? Would’ve taken the dress off of her and thrown it in the trash. But the new me? Has left her in it, after all, it’s still ‘clean.’ And I’m now eying it with endless possibilities in my mind of how I can alter it, fix it, change it up…

Growth is good, don’t you think?

So one of her birthday gifts was a little collector’s case with a dozen butterflies in it. And for a week, she dragged that box of butterflies with her everywhere she went. And then, the box fell apart. It was bound to happen.

And since I knew she wasn’t going to stop toting those butterflies of hers around, I knew we needed something sturdier.

And I hit the jackpot.

I’ve seen this little tin pail around before. I’ve had my eye on it for a while. I love clever and interesting storage solutions, especially when it comes to kid’s stuff. We had to have it.

I cannot emphasize enough how awesome this little pail is. It’s sturdy, it’s practical, and it’s just about the most adorable thing I’ve laid eyes on in a very long time. And I’ve seen it in other places for more than twice what I paid for it from domestikate, a little Etsy shop, which is, coincidentally, run by one of the nicest sellers I’ve come across since my love affair with Etsy began. I’m telling you, this pail is not easy to come by, and when – and if – you are lucky enough to stumble across one, you’re not going to get it for as good a price as you are here.

This has only intensified since having children. And even more so since Pea became a little girl. Because now her stuff has stuff. Two hours in her room on Saturday cleaning up nearly did me in. I can’t even tell you the crap I found in there that left me scratching my head in wonderment. Where did she find all of these tiny little wooden birds? And popsicle sticks? And single Polly Pocket shoes were in abundance. There was a bottle of sparkly pink nail polish that had hardened after who knows how long without a cap on it. Socks were missing their mates, a random shoelace from a tap-shoe was tucked away – lovingly – in a wooden doll bed. Along with a hand-carved jade turtle that I brought back from China in 2001. I’d long since forgotten about that little guy!

We need storage. Small-item storage. It has to be transportable, which means it has to have a lid. Otherwise we end up with a Hansel & Gretl-like bread-crumb trail of tiny little pieces scattered across the house. And this storage has to be easily opened by her little fingers. And of course, it has to look good. And it cannot cost a small fortune. We’re talking reasonable here. Beyond reasonable. I want inexpensive, attractive and purposeful storage. Is that too much to ask?

Found it.

I’m smitten.

Nesting suitcases. Or cardboard suitcases. Paper suitcases. French nesting children’s valises. Paper valises. I’m telling you, I spent hours upon hours yesterday, googling so many different terms until I found what I wanted. Colorful but elegant mini ‘suitcases’ that stacked upon themselves, one size smaller than the next, to hold Pea’s goodies. Cheaply.

HIghway robbery, what a handful of shops wanted for them. And others were so wildly patterned they gave me motion sickness. And the really simple ones that I liked were $50 for a set of three, and that was not happening. So I kept on googling away. And then, finally. I found them. A set of three. Beautiful solid colors to choose from. For under $20. And at a shop that I like, that I know, that I trust for their lovely children’s things that are made with very high quality.

Pack Your Bags. From The Land of Nod.

I love these little nesting storage boxes. So adorable stacked up on a shelf in a kid’s room, or a playroom. Easily carried from room to room, opened and their inner contents revealed. And then all little bits and pieces put back in their home, snapped shut and carried back to their place. Tucked away. Neatly.

Ahh…

So, take that, little Playmobil Cinderella, et al…

You know have a lovely little pink home.

And Coco? Your doll clothes that now outnumber your own clothes? Their own lovely little purple home.

Again, ahh…

It’s not secret that I love the Bianca and Family shop. It’s where I bought those incredible affiches scolaire earlier in the summer, for Coco’s room. And those little market baskets, to organize all of Pea’s little goodies in her bedroom. But I know that as she grows, she’s going to grow out of her bedroom. So I’m not going to spend a fortune on the decorative aspects. Well, aside from her growing art collection, but that’s courtesy of GiGi. And the antique yellow dresser that’s showing signs of all of the colors it’s been over the years, before it settled on yellow. That was from her Daddy, when she was born. And the rest of her furniture was all mine, when I was a kid. So she doesn’t need much. Just a few things, here and there, to make it her haven.

But because of the childish design ideas that she had, budgeting was on my mind. (Who’s mind isn’t it on these days?) I didn’t want to spend spend spend on things that she’d leave behind as soon as she hit the double digits. The first thing was to choose a paint for her walls. And after swearing that I would never, ever paint my daughter’s room pink, I caved. Because it’s all she’s been talking about. And I knew that I had to let her have those blushed walls when she came to me, a small paintbrush from her water color set in hand, and asked me if she could paint her walls. Pink.

Sigh.

As it turns out, Home Depot has a nice line called Freshaire that’s made without VOCs. And the color that Pea chose was surprisingly pale. Not the fuschia I thought she was going to go for. It’s called Pink Reef, and it’s perfect for a little girl’s room. And because she’s such a book-eater, we had to get shelves. I decided on Ikea’s Lack shelves – two – in white. It leaves floor space open underneath. And at the foot of Pea’s bed, on the wall, we hung a couple of the Lidan baskets, also from Ikea, for her special things. Apparently, special things to a 3-year old are chewed up Chapsticks and wooden clothespins. As for her nightstand, these galvanized pails are perfect for organizing even more of her little odds and ends. (Noticing a theme here? Organizational storage is key.) Make sure you poke around on their website, too. I never realized how little metal pails were going to be the answer to my storage dilemmas.

I’m having fun here, in a place I never thought that I would… wildly vibrant children’s rooms. We’ve been looking in magazines, catalogs, websites, and she knows what she likes. As it turns out, I should have listened to her sooner. The kid has really good taste. And to believe that it all began with this little lampshade that Pea noticed on an earlier trip to Ikea and just had to have. I wasn’t crazy about it then. I’m crazy about it now. I’m all for personal growth.

It’s small, There’s not a lot of space for cards, which is fine with me. I need to be able to actually close my wallet. And it’s well-made. It’s going to last a long time. It zips all the way around, meaning it’s safe for someone like me, who tends to lose things. Even money. It’s been known to happen. I’m far from perfect. But this wallet is the perfect answer. My shopping motto? Quality over quantity. Always.

Oh, almost forgot. It’s on sale. Now. And don’t you deserve a lovely Holiday gift? For the woman who gives and gives and gives? I think you do.

I’m going to be using the whoMi Leather Hidden Agenda. It’s faux snakeskin. It looks good. It’s the right size for my bag: just barely larger than a wallet that holds a checkbook. It has several slots for cards, cash, etc. And the planner. It tracks my schedule, along with three others. And if you don’t have three others, you can track exercise, meal planning. Whatever.

My only concern is the small space in which to record our schedules. But in conjunction with my Momagenda, which will remain on my desktop at home, the whoMi can work for me, despite it’s tiny writing space. So, I’m planning on keeping it brief. Just enough information to get me where I need to be. When I need to be there.

My 2009 New Year’s resolution, I guess. We’ll see how it goes…