Sick little man and some organizing

The last few days have been a little rough around here. Gus started running a fever on Monday morning. He hasn't had much of a fever since early Wednesday morning, but he is still not himself. I hate seeing him feel bad. It was very apparent he was not himself when he would just sit in my lap for long periods of time. He wasn't being my little firecracker like usual. Although I cherish those moments I have had to just hold my little boy, we have had some difficult ones too. He has sometimes just felt bad and cried, and I just can't seem to find anything to make him happy. Naptime has been off, which is really hard on a little boy AND his mommy. And I think we have both been watching the clock each day, anxious for our Daddy/husband to get home. This is only the second time Gus has really been sick. I count this as a true blessing to have such a healthy little boy. I have tried to stay home most of the time so Gus can rest and get to feeling better. Since I've been home, I have been working on some little projects, such as the one I posted about on Monday cleaning out my pantry and fridge. I organized a few other places in the house. I cleaned up the cabinet above our dryer and cleaned all the stuff on top of the dryer. I used these bins (family dollar- 3 bins- $5)

 

I also decided to replace some things above our washer. These actually were left by the previous owners of the house, and I had just never got new stuff.

 

I got these frames and just printed a few things and had on picture to put in them ( frames- $2 each at family dollar). I plan to change out the printables for seasons and holidays.

My Boys :)

Another thing new around our house is where Gus sits to eat! He has been sitting in his bumbo at the table some to eat. I give him a fork or spoon and let him eat like a "big person." He seems to be enjoying it. 

Today, Gus woke up at 5:30 am today :(. But, we have been back on track with naps, so hopefully things will be getting back to normal. 

Cleaning and Organizing

If you enjoy Pinterest as much as I do, you have probably seen all the pins about organizing and cleaning different areas of the house. I saw this pin a few weeks ago, and it inspired me to clean our pantry.

Source: dollarstoremom.com via Catie on Pinterest

Amazing right???

This morning I planned to go to a nearby town to shop a little, but my Gus woke up with a slight fever. So I thought it best to stay in town. I got us ready and then drove down to Family Dollar. (I know.... if you know me well you know this doesn't happen often). I got just a few things to help me organize. This pin said they got all the supplies at the Dollar Store, but they only had a few things at our Family Dollar like these. I ran by Sonic on my way home, put Gus down for his nap, and started organizing.

 Here is what I started with: 

Please tell me that I'm not the only one with a scary pantry like this!!! I pulled everything out, threw away everything out of date. Then I started organizing. Sure, I think it would be fun to put everything in a separate bin, but that just wasn't practical for me and my pantry. My shelves are very short and not very deep. So I just got this basket, and some plastic bins to put a few things in. (basket- $6, set of 4 plastic bins not pictured- $6)

 I also had to tackle the bottom of the pantry- oh how I hate having a million plastic grocery bags. If I could just remember to take me cloth ones more often!

And here is the finished product- the tops shelves. I put all my sugar (brown and powdered) in a bin, and then I put all my cookie cutters and cupcake liners together in one. I already had the red plastic bin and that's where I keep potatoes and onions. I also put things that come in small packets, like instant oatmeal and microwave popcorn in a bin as well. 

And I cleaned up the floor! This bottom shelf is one of my favorite things now. I used the basket I bought to put chips, snacks and bread in. And I threw a bunch of the plastic bags away. And this is my poor little sick helper. 

I am glad I got this finished, and hopefully we can keep it this way.

I also cleaned out our fridge, which included take out the shelves and scrubbing them. I had this on my list to do last week and didn't do it. It's amazing how your fridge doesn't look stuffed when you have it cleaned out! Hopefully I can keep this clean too!

   

I hope this might give you some practical ideas for your pantry. I didn't get mine to look like a Pinterest picture, but it works for us!

Over the last few months, I have been trying to keep our home better organized and cleaner. I think this makes our life as a family easier. It makes me feel good when I have things straight, and I don't have to constantly walk by clutter. I still have a long way to go, but I am doing things one step at a time. What I did this morning I hope will relieve a little stress in our home. When I get things organized, it makes me happy! :)