Organization, oh my

I don't think I was always an organizer. I remember being plenty scattered as a teen and young adult. But, the older I got the more of a planner I became. (Although it will be interesting to hear if my parents claim me an always-planner type of girl.) Throughout the adoption I had to be way organized or I would have gone crazier than I did.

When the girls came home life turned upside down in this household, which was good in many ways but absolutely overwhelmingly unacceptable to me in others! I can handle toys on the floor (within reason!) and some sticky spots from apple juice (as long as I know I will soon get to them!) but other things became daunting and added unneeded stress to my day. Things like laundry piling up with no organization. The kitchen counter so full of crap that it couldn't be seen, let alone used. Little hands like to grab bills, important documents and other paperwork of daily life, but there were limited places to put said things without looking like a crazy paper-hoarder with stacks in odd places.

It's been amazing how the simplest of tools have made me smile! I got a laundry organizer, which has three (three!) compartments for girls, our regular stuff and the whites. Simple? You betcha? Is Holly sleeping better at night because of it? Yessirreebob!

Last week at Costco I found a hanging file thingamoohey that now houses all those papers and the magazines I swear (SWEAR!) I'm going to get to read. Can little hands reach them? Nope! Today Brian needed some info and I was able to find it in seconds. YAHOO!

Yesterday afternoon the kitchen counters got reorganized and today I bought (at a 50% off rate, even) a new little hook-thing for the kitchen for my purse and our daily totebag. I realize these probably are lame to everyone but me, but I'm so happy to feel a tiny bit of order in the middle of what has been insanity!

Here are some new pics. Hope started a toddler gymnastics class yesterday, giving her her own thing to do. She constantly says, "Hope's class, Mom!" and it makes her feel proud to have something that's just hers. Leah wasn't too happy yesterday during Hope's class but I signed her up for her own class that starts Tuesday. Both girls will have weekly classes; I just feel it's important to give them their own identities and activities so they can be Leah and Hope and not always LeahandHope. The other pics are of the girls' excitement after receiving a package from my aunt and uncle (the second package, by the way). My aunt wonders if we will call them Great Aunt and Great Uncle or Grand Aunt and Grand Uncle - I think they are both grand and great!

This picture just makes me laugh. If you look closely at the top left you can see a little Hope hand admonishing the dolls (Leah was at school, hence Hope having both dolls) to, "Wait, Dolly" while she, ahem, took care of some personal business.

Leah (with blue paint on her face from school) excited about her new book).

Hope and a new book; she's putting her hand in the pop-up crocodile's mouth.

Hope going to her first class. Today's errands included getting two new little leotards for the girls. Are your teeth just getting cavities from the sweetness?!