Toy Room Questions and Answers

Wowzers!! What an overwhelming response I had to the Toy Room Makeover post!!
Thankyou so much for all your lovely comments ! Its so nice to know that everyone loves the space as much as we do! The colours are so lovely and cheery and we are loving the new touches.

 

I have received a few questions about various things around the room, so I will try and cover those here , but if anyone else would like to know anything, please do not hesitate to flick me an email and I'll try and answer everything the best I can ( or remember)

 

First up, one of the requests was for some inside shots of our toys. Even though the Toy room looks as if there are a lot of toys, as there are a lot of baskets, most of them are only half full and there are even a few that are empty. In our home , I do cull toys on a regular basis and try to only purchase ones that are wooden or more natural. The kids tend to play with the same things everyday, trains, lego, wooden blocks, cars and dress ups. Throw in a kitchenette and some play food and they are set for a good time forever!

 

So here is a sneak peek inside a few baskets for you!

 

 

 

Cars are a real necessity for any toy room, even for families of just girls I believe. These are the communal cars, and ones for when other children come over to play, Max has his special cars in a Carry All from Pottery Barn that he carries them around in , and they keep them separate.

 

 

Puzzle boards, the pieces are in the top basket, in zip lock bags and labelled accordingly.

 

Balls- just that and not too many just yet. These are on the Christmas list for the kids actually!

 

Phones- something we can not escape and I find these are great for the kids to play with for Role Play and imagination. Some are old phones , others play ones.

 

Wooden Blocks- classic and still a hit everyday!

 

Another Question was how I store our soft toys, well this is it! As above,they are stored in 2 baskets in the Toy Room and individual special ones with each child on their beds or in their rooms,

I tend to only keep the special soft toys, they are real dust collectors and you tend to accumulate so many over time!

 

The gorgeous labels create such a uniform look. Love them!

 

Another question was about the Target print , and what did is say. Here is a closer photo, as you can see , it is just perfect for a childs room or play area. I bought it on sale a little while ago but I am sure you could find one in a store somewhere , or perhaps try a home shopping store.

 

More details on the Curtains- They are from Spotlight and VERY reasonably priced for what they are. They came in a green and blue, but they were different patterns. I can not for the life of me remember the brand name , but hopefully this pic will help you further!

 

 

Lastly, a question about the kids pencil turntable, pictured at the top of the photo below.

 

 

This is a Mini Lazy Susan from Pottery Barn. Its a perfect size, divided and obviously spins for convenience. I bought it some time ago , and it was pricey but has been well worth the cost!

 

I hope I have answered your queries adequately, and like I said, if there are any other bits and pieces anyone would like to know about, just let me know!
Thankyou all for your support, yet again, now on to the next big project!!
But it might just be selling up and building yet!! eeeek

 

A Post of Questions...... and Answers

As mentioned a few days ago, I am a little behind on emails from readers with questions and queries of different things they have seen on the blog, so I thought I would try and address a few all in the one post.
I love being able to help you guys out, answer any questions you have or give as much information as I can, and I just love hearing from you. So please, feel free to email me whenever you like , and I will try and reply as soon as I can.

Some recent questions have been regarding my handmade products, as originally I had started a home based hobby business of sewing children's items, and this is how my blog originated. Unfortunately I don't have the time to sew much anymore and don't take custom orders for anything either.

Where did you get the babushka softie in Stella's room from?
My clever sister hand sews and creates gorgeous items for kids and she has a Facebook business called Bread n Butter Factory ,you can find her HERE.

Could you please let me know the website of where I can get the printables for letters (eg, S for Snake- a picture of a snake shaped as the letter S) that you used for your Theme weeks.
As seen our Educational weeks in these posts HERE and HERE , I like to use printables and one of the best sites I have found is HERE

You did a post on cleaning and it had pictures of your Linen cupboard with little white baskets, I can't seem to find the post anywhere though. I'd like to do a make over similar.
Well HERE you go, I searched and found the post myself. Love those baskets, they are so cheap and handy for anything!

The little print in the laundry, where is that from?
Wash, Dry, Fold, Repeat poster from HERE

Where did you get your big beautiful bookshelves and TV unit from?
That would be our lovely Liatorp unit from IKEA. I did a blogpost on it HERE and I must say, we still love this unit today as much as we did the day we bought it. We get so many comments on it and it has completed the room and provided so much storage for us.
Details of the range are on the IKEA website HERE

You have mentioned in the past that your kids go to bed early, how do you achieve this with so many kids? I just never seem to have the time in the afternoons and its chaotic.
Oh believe me, the afternoons are chaos here too! But in all seriousness, its all about organisation and routine. Dinner is ready most days by 4:30-5pm and we sit down to eat anytime between 5pm-5:45, so not long after my husband comes home from work. Its early, I know , but the kids are cactus and ready to eat and get to bed. They go straight from the dinner table to the bath, teeth, dressed, book and bed. Most days they are in bed by 6-6:30pm.
I know a lot of people may feel that is too early, or not achievable , but it is.
Its a proven fact that kids require 12 hrs of sleep per night as a minimum and if yours are anything like mine, they are up early, so to bed early it is too.
To get them there at that time is all about organisation. If you work , it would be harder, but I am lucky enough to be at home. Perhaps for working parents, you could cook up dinners on weekends so they were ready? Use the slow cooker, Or feed the kids something different that what you are having yourself.
During this time, nothing else matters but getting them to bed at a good time. If you are busy cleaning, organising , playing , on the computer etc. Nothing matters, it all can wait until after bed time. Just focus on what needs to be done and do it.
We have never had an issue with them not wanting to go to sleep because of how light it is outside. Its routine, its bedtime , regardless of the sun.
This routine suits us, its great to be able to replenish and recoup at night with the kids in bed and spend some quality time together.

My question would be on routine. How do you stay motivated to keep on top of things?
Well my answer to that is that I am anal!! No seriously!! My hubby calls me OCD but I just think I am fussy. I often wonder myself but figure , my life is so crazy busy all the time, and so many elements are out of my control daily, the one thing I can control, is my home. I function better when everything is clean and tidy, I can think straight and feel more at ease.
The motivating factor for me is that if I don't keep on top of it, the next day it will just be twice as bad, take twice as long to clean or put away and I just don't have that time to spare. I do lots of little things , all day , and it doesn't seem so bad.
However, I don't watch much TV, don't sit down, read mags, watch TV (unless feeding Angus) during the day. Its just go go go.
And my reasoning with hubby? Our home is my place of work. He likes his workplace and area to be neat and tidy and so do I!

Continue on from same query
Do you write a to do list everyday? Do you do things on certain days? Eg clean, budget, groceries, organise.
I don't write lists for the little things, or rather the things that I do on a daily basis as part of my normal routine. Like making beds, dishes, doing laundry, putting it away etc. I do them all the time so no need to remind myself about them. If you want a sense of accomplishment then maybe so you can check things off your list ! haha
All beds are made, dishes are done and the toy room is tidy, and usually a load of washing is on , before we leave in the morning for school drop off. It makes the mornings busier, if that is possible, but I really hate returning to a house that looks untidy with lots of work to do!
I write lists for the bigger jobs I have to do. Say "Organise the Walk In robe" and try and make suitable time to do it. Or I might just plug away at something over a few days while Max and Lacey are sleeping. While the kids are awake, I do undertake in any organising, cupboard cleaning etc. Its not that fair on them and its too stressful for me ;) haha
I clean my house on a Monday, as in dusting, bathrooms, toilets, vacuuming , mopping. Everything. I also wash the towels on this day and generally change the sheets on a Sunday.
My washing is done everyday to stay on top of things and usually gets put away on the same day.
I have an ironing lady and she is a godsend!!
We are really bad with our groceries, and I don't shop on the same day every week. In fact I only shop every 3 weeks or so, when we need to. My husband brings home fresh bread and milk from work and I usually touch up on fruit and veg about half way through but we usually spend about $350ish and it last for 3 weeks or longer, buying in bulk saves money and time/stress.


Have you always been organised if so do you think there is help for those that haven't and want to be?
You know what? I haven't always been organised. Or at least I don't think I have been!
I am not an untidy person, and like to clean as I go. And I have heard plenty of stories about when I was little and I would be neurotic and change my clothes millions of times a day, but I don't think I was an extremely neat child.
My cleaning and organising obsession has definitely been enhanced with having our kids, especially since having the twins. Like I said, I felt so out of control about so many things, that our home was one thing I could organise and control and it was almost like therapy.
There is hope for everyone. But please remember, I am no guru, I just do things I like to my home and like to share them with you.
And there is no overnight cure , and nothing is a quick fix. Generally , once you start organising and culling one area, it stems and overflows to another like a domino effect. But... make a list, establish what you will need to organise the area and free up some time to do it. Even if you steal 20 mins a day when hubby first comes home from work and the kids are excited to see him and occupied, to duck off and get to work.
I really feel, to be an organised person and have an organised home, you need to see a problem or mess, dislike it and want to make it better. Simple

Ok just a random question how did you meet your hubby?
This is a nice different one!! I met my husband when I was 17, a hairdressing apprentice and living life to its fullest!! He was friends with a girl I went to Tafe with and she spoke about him a bit. We swapped numbers, text back and forth hundreds of times a day, spent hours on the phone to each other then decided to go on a 'Date'. And  I am talking a real date, which even 9 years ago, was a rarity! No one goes on proper dates anymore. But he asked for my address, and came and picked me up. Even got out of the car and met my parents before leaving.
It only took 3 months before I knew he was the one for me and I wasn't even 18 yet!!
Its safe to say , we are soul mates. Our paths were meant to cross and thankfully they did!!
We have grown up from teenagers to adults with each other, battled with a family that was not approving of our relationship and had our ups and downs, but I could not imagine my life without my darling big man. (and he is big alright, 6ft 9 inches!!)

And one of the questions I have had on my Facebook page  and I thought I would share as it may be helpful to some people;

How do you go about finishing up your craft sessions with your kids? My daughter always throws a tantrum when its time to pack away.
Hmm I am not saying our crafting sessions have been without tantrums, that would be a huge lie! However our kids are usually very good when finishing up a session but I think its because when we do craft, we make 'something'. We set out with a finished product in mind and always have something to show for our efforts in the end. The kids love nothing more than clipping their new artworks up on the fridge or in the Toy Room, and are very proud of themselves. I think if we were to have a free craft session where they cut and paste or paint just for the fun of it, and there was no finish line, then we would have hissy fits!


I hope by answering these questions all at once, it has been convenient for everyone and satisfies their queries, if not , please do not hesitate to contact me. I love feedback, I love messages and comments so fire away!
And a huge thank you to those special ladies who did take the time out to email and message me! xo

Meme - Quiz Me

After reading a great post by one of my favourite bloggers Lisa, at Life As We Know It tonight, I got inspired and thought I would play along with the game. I always seem  to learn something about myself, and its rather fun trying to think of answers. The list comes from Sunday Stealing, and is available HERE.

1) Which TV character do you think you are most like?
Hmmm there is nothing like being thrown in the deep end and being stuck ont he first question!!
I think I may be a good mix of a few characters!! My husband thinks I am like Bree off of Desperate Housewives, hmmm not sure that is a good thing! But I'm not sure I can put my finger on any others, do you have any ideas? Who do you think I am like?

2) What time do you go to bed?
I'd like to say 9/9:30pm, but its just not true!! I am a night owl. I am absolutely cactus when all the kids just go to bed and seem to get a second wind about that time, and feel like I could go all night!! I know , I know, its bad for me and I need the sleep. Believe me, I KNOW!! But I think it has more to do with a matter of achievement. I have mentioned before that I like to feel like I have actually achieved something for the day and often that doesn't happen until the kids are snoozing! So really, its more like anything between 10:30-12pm

3) What was the last meal you made from scratch?
Does a sweet count? Just tonight, at around 8:30pm, I was whipping up a Peppermint Slice to take to Playgroup tomorrow morning, but last night we had a Hearty Beef Casserole in the slow cooker, so that would be it!

4) What is your favourite type of music?
BC (before children) I used to have a really wide range of music that I liked, however since having the kids, my music tastes have changed. Almost settled. I figure I hear enough noise, screaming, shouting , crying , etc for the day, the last thing I want to listen to , is singers doing the same. So I like Jazz, acoustic, folk sorta style music. I LOVE LOVE Adele at the moment, think she is great, potty mouth and all. She has such confidence, and doesn't care what she says and when she says it!!

5) In what position do you sleep?
On my side, feet hanging out over the blankets and arms under my pillow . And I pretty much stay like that. Oh and I like to face the door, and my back to hubby. I figure if someone breaks in, I want to see them, not get snuck up on!! Yet again BC, we used to sleep entangled in each other. Every night, at least something of our bodies were touching, and we would spoon and sleep comfortably like that all night. Not now. NOOOO sir -eeeeee!! A few pregnancies and ouchy pelvic issues put a stop to that and the habit is broken!

6) What is your favourite childhood memory?
Ohhh I have alot. I had a great childhood. The best of everything and my parents worked bloody hard ( like my Dad worked 3 jobs and my Mum went back to work when I was 9 months old, yep they are absolute legends and I have the MOST respect for them!) so we have alot of fond memories.
Trips to Lucky Bay with my cousins, were I learnt how to drive (thanks Emma!! Maybe the landy should have had brakes though!!) nights at the speedway watching my Dad , and me wearing possum earmuffs (they were grey with a pink nose and fluffy) Of my Birthday cake when I was like 7 or 8 maybe? A round carousel cake , with fairy figurines holding ribbons from the centre, blue icing (which I later threw up as I ate too much) and a wonderful fairy birthday party!!
See I could go on!

7) What is your least favourite smell?
This is a hard one, there are soooo many awful smells , and I fear I have inherited my fathers nose , and its a sensitive one! Purhaps BO (Body odour), like I am talking , bad bad BO, and vomit. Ick

8) Its your round at the pub and your friends asked you to surprise them. What drink would you buy and why?
Definately a round of Alize' and Lemonade!! Yummo! The obsession started in Sydney a few years back when I went over with a friend for the annual 'Hair Expo" and we drank it til we were blue in the face, literally!! Yummo. Either that or Gin and Tonics.

9) What was the last thing you read/watched that made you cry?
Honestly? I am an absolute SOOK!! And it was about 15 minutes ago, and a note that came home from school!! We are invited to watch Stella's Kindy class do a performance for us for the end of Term and celebration of Easter! I cried just thinking of it, imagine how I will be watching the darn thing?

10) They say you learn something new everyday. What was the last thing you have learned?
That I am NOOOOO computer whiz and that Facebook is being a twang!! I hate not knowing how to do things on the internet and computer, it frustrates me no end!

11)Which Literary love interests would you snog, marry and avoid?
I would snog/ marry Alexander from The Bronze Horseman (Paullina Simmons book) and I am sure there are more, but purhaps sleep deprivation is causing Baby brain, yet again!

12)Vegemite....Love it or hate it?
I do love it! Not too thick and has to be put on HOT toast with the butter melting. Yum

13) What is your favourite quote/saying?
Ohh I have SOOO many, just ask the habib! "Cos thats the way I roll", " 50 million times" , but my favourite "Cos I said so!!" haha)

14) Paper back, Hardback or Kindle? Which of these is your favourite reading format and why?
I would say Kindle, on the iPad, LOVE LOVE my iPad, otherwise paperback , or high glass magazine pages may trumph them all at the moment!

15) If you could bring  back any cancelled TV series for another run what would you pick and why?
Party of five!! I can't remember the specifics of the show, but I just remember I LOVED it!

Fancy playing along? Simply fill out your answers to the questions and post a link to your blog post in the comments section on 'Life as we know it'

And before I sign off, I just wanted to thank everyone for the support and wonderful comments on my last post!! It was so lovely and uplifting to see mothers all sharing their experiences and troubles and no negativity!! Its the way Motherhood should be, this gig is hard enough, let alone making it hard for one another and judging each others decisions!
Night all
xo