It's Organization Time at The Bates' House

Wow--we have actually managed to stay in one house for an entire YEAR! (Let's hope that statement won't jinx me.) So, that means I can actually move beyond survival mode and into nesting mode. I readily admit that Allen and I both suffer from OCD--so nesting in our house means ORGANIZING! And, I love it! Here are my latest projects:

Organized all the kids' winter-wear in a clear plastic shoe organizer. This way they can SEE what they need, and more importantly, put it away THEMSELVES!

I had Allen hang some hooks for the kids' backpacks in the back hallway. Again, they can hang them up THEMSELVES! Also, we have an organized space for their artwork and important papers.The kids' closets drive me CRAZY! So, when I stumbled upon an awesome deal on hangers (at the Walmart Associate Store), I seized the opportunity. Now Brookelyn has all matching pink hangers and her clothes are sorted by type and color. I love how it looks and how easy it is to put together outfits.
This is Braedyn's closet with the blue hangers. (He also has a shoe organizer that he can get all his shoes out of and back into by himself. Brookelyn's shoes don't fit in a hanging organizer, so hers are under her bed in a pull out organizer because we all know that a girl must have A LOT of shoe options!)

Then, I found these two AMAZING organizers (one pink and one blue) at the Goodwill. They a have bin for every day of the week. So, on Sunday I sit down with each kid and we pick out their outfits and put them in the bin. This is awesome especially for Brookelyn because we have to keep track of what days she has gym (tennis shoes) and art (messy clothes) and 6:15 am is not a good time for me to try to remember which day is what!

So, far I am thrilled with all my little projects. Up next is the butler's pantry. I have to paint it to match the rest of my kitchen cabinets.

Braedyn Stars Preschool!

Tuesday was Braedyn's first day of 3 Year Old Preschool at His House! He was lucky enough to have his friend Riley's mom, Ms. Summer, as a teacher. Braedyn was excited to go--after all he had been going to drop sissy at Kindergarten for quite a while, and he missed all his friends from last year!

Here is the "big man on campus" showing how old he is:

And, here he is just looking cute:
He walked right into class with no problem and had an amazing first day!
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Rhea Lana Time in the Bates House!

It is that time again...time when I stock up on ziploc bags, magic erasers, safety pins, hangers, and all the other little things I need to sell all the kids' toys and clothes at Rhea Lana (the local consignment sale here in AR)!

So, for the last two weeks I have been spending my afternoons in the guest bedroom ironing, starching, hanging, tagging, and entering in the computer all the kids' clothes that they have grown out of. And, if you know Allen and I, you know we love to dress the kids "to the nines," so there is quite A LOT of clothes to sell. I am actually already up to two consigner numbers (they only let you consign 150 items per number) and 250 items!!

Here are a couple of pictures of all the items I have been working on:

Clothes:

More clothes:
Toys, books, DVDs, etc:
And, I have two huge plastic containers full of shoes (this is just one):
While all of this is A LOT of work, it is SO worth it! Every year we are able to sell all the stuff the kids have grown out of, and then outfit them in all new stuff while usually coming out ahead!

Kindergarten!

Brookelyn started KINDERGARTEN! As I laid in bed this morning, I thought about all her first days of preschool/MDO. There has been quite a few with all of our moves and school changes. I think all of those prepared me and her for this big day. She did AWESOME! I took a TON of pictures, so bear with me.

Here she is proudly holding her Kindergarten sign. We went shopping yesterday for the "perfect outfit" and had so much fun together!

And, of course, a "model pose."
I couldn't decide which close up between these two I liked the best, so I included both!

And, here she is with her new backpack.

Uncle David and Emily brought her over a kindergarten surprise last night--Juicy Couture folders, notebook, and pencils! She loved them!
Here is Daddy leading the way to the school this morning!
Her school is R.E. Baker. She is officially a bobcat!
Of course, brother had to get in on the action!

Brookelyn walked in like she owned the place and led her brother right to her classroom!

Here they are right outside her classroom. The picture above her is the one she drew at Meet the Teacher Day.
She settled right in and started coloring!
One last hug from Daddy! (She wasn't sad or crying--just wanted a good, big hug.)
And, one from Mommy.
Then, we headed out. I can NOT wait to hear all about her day!! I love my big girl SO much!