Our donation box.

As I've been going through a lot of stiff around the apartment, I've been getting rid of a lot of things.
We got a little basket type thing to put in what we don't need/want anymore.
I really try and stay away from donating things to places that are just going to make money off of them. So instead, I first give my friends a chance to pick out what they want, next, and its final step, is to a friend of the family. Ms.Tina runs a closet out of her house for people who need clothes for themselves and their children. Almost like a food pantry but for clothes.
It's a wonderful thing that she does and I would much rather people get these clothes for free that REALLY need it instead of a store making money on it.
Ill also donate to a crisis center or a woman's shelter.
I usually donate my 11 mo olds clothes to the teen parenting program at the local high-school.

Of course we try to empty the box ASAP or else we will end up taking stuff out of it :p

Not sure if you should get rid of something? Put it in a box out of sight for three weeks. If you find that you don't need it for something, its probably time to get rid of it.

animal food storage

I'm not going to lie, I'm a relatively lazy person. So you can imagine that after some time, walking across the house to get the pet food and then walk back to put it away got pretty irritating.
My solution?
I have the cat litter,food, and dog food all in three separate containers and keep them very close to where the bowls and litter box is located. GENIUS!

De-cluttering your closet.

In most house holds its the woman that has more clothes than all the people in the house combined (guilty)! So I took the time last night to de-clutter my closet. I took everything out and layed it on the bed.  One by one I tried on every bit of clothing that I own.
I've started following the 10 pound rule. If something is too small but I can fit into it in 10 lbs then I keep it. If its further away or I don't like it anymore it goes in the donation box!
I removed 4 grocery bags worth of clothing from my closet!

It's so nice to reach into my closet and pull something out that I know fits instead of searching and removing almost everything from the hangers.

Enjoy your revamped closet!

More room in a little apartment.

We were decorating our bedroom and simple thought, used a small dresser as a night stand.
Now we have storage for clothes and a bed side table :)
We also got a small writing desk for our computer. Plenty of storage space without taking up a lot of room!
LOVE IT!

Update - 10/16/12:
To save room in our kitchen cabinets, we have a blue 8 door stand bought from Wal-Mart for like $20.
We use it for all of our sons formula,snacks ect. :)
Tell me your space saving ideas :)

Save money doing laundry!

So I read a post on Facebook(I'm not sure of the site,ill give credit once I find it :p
She gave two tips.
Use the appropriate amount of detergent, and cut your dryer sheets in half.
Who would have thought! :p
It definitely made a difference in my household.

Share your money saving laundry tips :)

DIY Halloween ornaments.

Last year after Christmas I went to a craft store and bought a couple of plain plastic ornaments.
After making my Halloween candles I came across these ornaments in the craft box so I figured "why not?"
I haven't perfected the technique yet but here's what I did.
I took off the top of the ornaments and put in paint. Replaced the top and shook it around like a mad man. After the paint coated the inside I sat it upside down so the excess could drip out. I was a little anxious so I didn't really let it dry. I put the tops back on and drew with sharpie on the outside, strung white ribbon through the tops and attached it to my apartment door. :)
I came home from work that night and some spots shone through clear ,remember, I didn't really let it dry) so I adjusted it and all is well.
They look super cute.

Some ideas on how to keep a relationship fun.

1. Plan a date night. With kids it can be hard. My old man and I make a point to go out at least once a month just the two of us. We like to go to the sweepstakes and have dinner so we put money in a jar to save up some :)
2.  DON'T BE SO SERIOUS! yes, you are adults, but why always act like it? We tend to talk differently with our friends than to the person we are with. Why not talk to them the same?
3. Touch more. I'm not talking about anything dirty, but even when sitting on the couch lean into him/her and just touch them.
4. Cook together! I am a horrible cook so when we cook together we have a great time!

5. Do something the other person wants to do. Seeing the person you love doing something they love is a beautiful thing. He/she will love teaching you how to do whatever it is. Then later on, you have something to talk about over dinner.
6. Be spontaneous! Go dance in the rain, give a random kiss on the forehead, go do something you normally wouldn't do.
7. Don't get too comfortable. Not knowing how you get that beautiful is half of the excitement. Don't pluck, shave, wax, color, or do make up in front of him.
These are just some thoughts, please feel free to add more :)