New Beginnings

If you've read more than two posts on my blog, then you've probably got the hint that I love organization. Scratch that, I crave organization. Its an endless battle for me. I'll get into a great cycle where things seem to be moving like clockwork gears, and then it will all fall into chaos.

Right now, I'm in chaos mode. I'm not exactly sure how I got here. Perhaps it has something to do with the 200+ billable hours I clocked at work last month? Or, the super-di-duper fun and busy summer I've been having with my boys? Sheer laziness?

Whatever the cause, its been worth it! Since I've last chatted with you, our little family has been bike riding, gone to our first Orioles game, and ** drum roll please....** my baby started WALKING!!!!! I mean, who can possibly do laundry when they are busy cheering and encouraging those first precious steps??? Well, maybe you can, but I'm not that great at multi-tasking.

But alas dear friends, summer is beginning to draw to a close. Yes, technically we have over another month until the autumnal solstice, but whatever. When you are a mom, your seasons are guided by the school year. Carter has one more week of summer camp and then **sniff sniff** Pre-K begins!

New school year. New classroom. New teacher. New lessons.

Ahhh....how I love a fresh start! I'm determined to take this next week to get our routines back in order so that we go into the new school year with some semblance of routine and organization. That means 8:30 bedtimes, 7:15 wake times, laying out school clothes and packing book bags. Filling out chore charts (hence enforcing them...).

So, I made a list of all the things that I have fallen out of the habit of doing this summer. I won't bore you with the details, but its long. Half a page, single spaced. Eeek! As much as this laissez-faire lifestyle has ben enjoyable, its starting to drive me wee bit nutty. Back to order!!!

Product RAVE!

Many moons ago, I bought a pack of Banana Boat Baby sunscreen at Costco, and it came with the sunscreen "stick" as a bonus. I threw it in the diaper bag (b/c its super compact) but hadn't actually used it until this weekend. And well, now I'm HOOKED!

This little product is amazing. Its super small, so it fits in the diaper bag great. But the super awesome fabulous part is that it makes putting sunscreen on squirmy babies and rambunctious 4 year olds a breeze! You just rub it all over them! Its even better for faces, making it nearly impossible to get it in their little eyes! Bonus: you don't have sticky sunscreen all over your hands!

Me encanta! I'm sorry I'm discovering and sharing this with only a few weeks left of summer! Go hither and get yee one, caretakers of small people!

Always Be Prepared

My 8 year Girl Scout career has served me well. If I hadn't learned from that to always be prepared, I certainly learned the lesson well during my first year of motherhood! You never know what sort of curve ball these little monsters will throw your way! By the end of Carter's first year, I was packing so much gear in my diaper bag, that it weighed more than he did! That is quite a feat considering he weighed 27 lbs at age 1!!!

Then I got wise. A lot of stuff, you don't need to tote with you everywhere you go. You just need it close enough by that you can access it when the occasion arises. I got the idea to pack a small Rubbermaid bin full of all those random extras you need, and keep one "kit" in each car. These kits have saved my behind (and my kids') more times than you can imagine! I re-check and stock it everytime the weather changes - warm to cold or cold to warm.

This weekend, I made up my summer kits! Here are my necessary items:

* Sunscreen
* Bug Repellant
* Change of clothes for each - shorts, t-shirt, socks, undies
* light weight jacket for each
* 3 extra diapers
* Travel wipes
* Hand sanitizer
* Benadryll bug bite soothing pen
* Snacks - 4 cereal bars, cheerios, fruit snacks
* Two bottles of water
* An extra baby bottle and formula (to make 6 oz)
* Coloring book and coloring pencils (crayons will melt)
* A baby toy and board book
* Beach towel for impromptu picnics!

I swear, all of this except the beach blanket fits neatly into the Rubbermaid bin so it doesn't take up any space in the trunk. We already have a First Aid Kit in the car. Can you think of anything I'm missing??

Bring on summer!!!!!