Dollar Tree Learning Corner Tour & Organization

I posted a pic of this on IG awhile ago, and although this video has been on my "to-do" for over 6 months, it took a collaboration to get myself in gear!

A special THANK YOU to Jady A for inviting me to this collaboration, titled "Organized Children Spaces." I absolutely ADORE Jady A's channel and have for a long time (way before I started my own)! Check out her free printables for Early Childhood Learning at http://www.shelfwork.com.

This video takes you on a tour of most of the individual components of this system, and the star of the organizing show are Sterilite's standard shoe boxes. I originally bought the green ones from Dollar Tree, but lately have been finding them at Kroger or Family Dollar, also for $1 each. I like them way better than Dollar Tree Essentials' shoe boxes (I mention why in the video.

See video here: http://bit.ly/1HZecCK

Do you have tips and tricks to organize your child's learning spaces?

Love + light,
Clara

Yearly Questions for Kids

This year we will start a tradition of asking the all of the Slate kids (cousins, etc.) questions about life, and recording their answers in an Elf on the Shelf notebook I bought from DT! It'll be fun to see how their answers differ according to their unique personalities, especially over the upcoming years! 


YEARLY INTERVIEW FOR KIDS:

1.) How old are you? ___________________________________________.
2.) What's your favorite color? ____________________________________
3.) Favorite book(s)?___________________________________________
4.) Favorite toy(s)?_____________________________________________
5.) What is your favorite way to play outside? What sport and team do you like?
6.) My favorite TV show(s) is__________; my favorite movie(s) is_________.
7.) My favorite music/songs are ___________________________________.
8.) My teacher's name is ____________. 
      I love to go to school because _________________________________.
10.) I am really good at _______________, and LOVE to ________________.
11.) Every night I sleep at _____________, cuddling my _________________.
12.) I love to eat and drink _______________________________________.
13.) Animals are cool, especially the ____________because_____________.
14.) _____________________________________________make me laugh.
15.) ____________________________________________ make me upset.
16.) I want to be a _________________________________ when I grow up.
17.) My friends are _____________________________________________.
18.) If I had 3 wishes, they would be: _______________________________
                                                             ______________________________
                                                             ______________________________
19.) This year was busy with ______________________________________.
20.) My plans for next year are: ___________________________________
                                                             ______________________________
                                                             ______________________________


What questions would YOU ask? Feel free to copy and paste!

Happy holidays!

love + light,
Clara

DIY Home Goods Decor!

I LOVE Home Goods, but I refuse to spend $100 for a painting! Decided to use old sample paints to DIY my own Home Goods decor and make it a bit darker to fit my taste! 

See this quick 2-3 minute VIDEO here!

http://bit.ly/1I0FW9Y

I had old canvases in the basement that had paintings of trees, and I wasn't fond of the style nor color. I know it's taboo (VERY TABOO!!!) to paint over paintings, but I did it! I used a few thick layers of white primer paint, and POOF! Gone!

After painting the dining room, I was left will three sample paints in colors I absolutely adore. 

Sample Paint Used (from Home Depot):
Behr Ultra NYPD (medium gray blue, the color we chose for the dining room)
Behr Ultra Midnight Blue (dark gray blue)
Behr Ultra Deep Breath (medium blue)

After putting down some newspaper on the kitchen table, I used water to wipe the dust away and dried the canvases with a kitchen towel. Using the Behr Ultra Deep Breath (medium blue) paint, I started painting at the bottom, knowing that would be the darkest area of the painting (thereby a great place to make my first mistakes! LOL). Using a 1.5 inch Purdy brush (the same we use to paint the house), I dipped directly into the sample container and made large swiping motions across the canvas to get the look of the ocean waves. I did the same with a few swipes of the Behr Ultra NYPD (medium gray blue).

In an effort to make it as streaky as possible (yet make the waves better blend together), I used a little bit of water. As I approached the top of the painting (towards the "sky"), I used less and less paint. I then applied Behr Ultra Midnight Blue (dark gray blue) in thicker textured streaks to simulate rocks.

Optional Step: Working with a wrap around canvases, I decided to continue painting around the edges. Some people prefer to just leave the edges white or paint them black - totally a matter of preference!

And, VOILA! Is it as good as the Home Goods painting? Of course not. It's darker and moodier, but I love it! It's mine, and no else has a copy of this painting. :)

Have you done any painting around your house to mimic expensive decor you've seen at your favorite stores?

love + light,
Clara

I Hate Most Mom Groups - Clara's Confessions

Moms have enough pressure as it is without us putting more on each other. Seriously, WHY do we do this? Why do we pass judgement on each other without learning the full story? Or, why do we pass judgement at all? Is it really necessary? 

Are we REALLY trying to help other moms by "educating" them with unsolicited advice? Or are we trying to give them that advice (which was again, unsolicited) because insecurities? Are we trying to make ourselves feel better about our decisions? What do you think?

See YouTube Video Here: http://bit.ly/1PszJWF

love + light,
Clara

Repurpose a Detergent Bottle into a Cleaning Basket!

Although having a pedestal sink may look pretty, it sucks, yes SUCKS for storage! Storage under the sink in the bathroom usually holds items you may want to hide, like toilet paper, cleaning products, etc.

I was able to find a super inexpensive solution for toilet paper storage, but as far as cleaning supplies, I decided to store them in the nearby laundry room. For easy transport, I repurposed an old detergent bottle - small, but a perfect size! It held the following:

Basic Bathroom Cleaning Supplies (no bathtub/shower in downstairs bath):
- Disinfectant spray
- Toilet gel
- "Windex" type of cleaner
- Microfiber duster
- Microfiber wash cloth
- Wooden barbecue skewer

To see more details on how I made this, see my video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JrkU6GGE2I

Here are the basics:

- Mark & cut two large holes in the front and back to insert cleaning bottles, keeping the handle intact
- Make holes to store duster, washcloth, and barbecue skewer
- Cover detergent label with contact paper if you wish!

Wait, a BARBEQUE SKEWER?

Yes! A barbecue skewer is great for really tiny and narrow places that even a toothbrush has difficulty reaching sometimes!

What are some storage solutions you have for the bathroom?

Love + light,

Clara

let there be peace | journal entry

"This is one part, one role that I question if I really have what it takes to fulfill...Do I notice? Do I see her?"

I’d like to share something important that happened in rehearsal today. In preparation for our upcoming concert, we were rehearsing Mark Hayes’ arrangement of “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” I honestly never thought twice about this song in the past. However, this arrangement is just amazing (just like most of his arrangements), and even by the fourth rehearsal of the season, the choir’s performance of the song already sounded ETHEREAL. I became overwhelmed with how beautiful the song sounded, and became so tearful that it nearly stopped me from singing. It was one of those incredible moments that you don’t soon forget, that enters into your very core and touches your soul. It was incredible, and at that moment I truly felt the real message of the song. 

There is a part of the song that says:

Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every breath I take,
Let this be my solemn vow.

To take each moment
And live each moment
In PEACE, eternally.

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.

As with everything these days, in the midst of listening to the beauty of the song, my thoughts strayed to our battles in the first few days of Aria's life. Lately, I have felt so completely inadequate. Sometimes I feel like I should already know what to do as a mom… yet I feel like I am failing all the time. I had succeeded in many areas of my life, but this is one part, one role that I question if I really have what it takes to fulfill.

At that moment, singing “Let There Be Peace on Earth” reminded me that I am not nothing, that I STILL CAN MAKE THINGS THAT ARE BEAUTIFUL…things that have meaning, things that are powerful.

During these past few years, I have been searching for a sense of tranquility. Through the ayurvedic medicine, acupuncture, meditation, massage, etc., what I have wanted most for the moment was to have peace. I wanted to feel calm and a semblance of some kind of serenity. 

Through the ups and downs, Aria's surgeries, Aria's hospital visits, and now Aria's developmental delays, I have become emotionally exhausted. What I want most for the moment is PEACE….peace away from the disappointment, peace away from the anguish, peace away from self-torment, peace away from feeling angry, peace away from the fatigue. Most of all, peace away from the guilt that it's still my fault. Yes, yes, there nothing I could've done to prevent Aria's medical diagnoses...still, will the guilt ever go away? “With every breath I take”, this is what I want.

Instead of being stuck feeling useless, today’s rehearsal reminded me that there are many things I CAN still do, that I have the ability to contribute some kind of beauty to the world. And beauty often times is in places and moments that you forget to look. Like how Aria looks at me while I change her dressing, change her feeding tube, or mix her IV medication....do I notice? Do I see her? Do I see the beauty that I had a part in making?

She is happy. She is thriving. She is ALIVE.

“To take each moment, and live each moment, in peace eternally”.

Praying to never forget I can do this.

Love + light,

Clara

Dollar Tree Toilet Paper Organizing!

I love organizing that is easy and inexpensive to do. Doesn't get much better than this, hahaha!

YES, I am that excited about organizing toilet paper! Although having a pedestal sink may look pretty, it sucks, yes SUCKS for storage! Storage under the sink in the bathroom usually holds items you may want to hide, like toilet paper. However, the storage solution I made with Dollar Tree items almost made toilet paper look pretty. Okay, maybe not pretty, but it sure looked clean and neat!

Using Dollar Tree products, I made a DOLLAR TREE TOILET PAPER TOWER! Yes, I could've put the toilet paper elsewhere, like a shelf above the door or a basket hanging off the wall. Or, I could've forked over $30+ for a storage shelf sold by Ikea or Home Depot for pedestal sinks.

But, this solution was WAY cheaper (bonus was that I already had all these items on hand)!

You will need:
- Fishing line or very strong twine (you could also use yarn, jute twine, ribbon, etc., if you're okay with it bring visible)
-  A popsicle stick (from the teaching section)
- Tape (any will do)

I showed this in a recent bathroom tour - shows very simple decorating using Dollar Tree, Ikea, and thrifted items! See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB_V8leE8NE

 A few tips:

- Tie the top of the fishing line to the top door hinge
- Use a strong fishing line; you may need 2-3
- Knot the fishing line around the popsicle stick several times, then secure further with tape
- Make sure the tower doesn't interfere with opening the door

Do you have any fun toilet paper storage tricks? Comment below! I LOVE hearing about different storage solutions!

Love + light,
Clara