an amazing trip trick: keeping kids at the table

Our children love hearing a story. Probably because I started reading to them the very day they came home from the hospital.

Recently, I was talking with someone who said that although she tries to read to her children for at least 20 minutes a day, her children will not sit still long enough to hear a book. They'll jump up and run around and get distracted, or fight over who is going to sit on her lap.

My advice was that instead of sitting on a couch to read a book, they pull up a chair to the kitchen table. And when their children are sitting down to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner, they read to them.

Granted, there are a lot of times I will sit down on the couch and cuddle up with one or two children and read them a story. But it usually happens, that once I settle in to a comfortable position with a book in my hands and children on my lap, in a matter of seconds, I'll fall sound asleep and start snoring. It's the craziest phenomenon.

So we opt to read around the table. We don't read during every meal, but at least once a day, typically during lunch, each of the children will select a book. We also use meal time to review flash cards, the daily calendar, or any other activity that requires the children to sit still. Hence we've discovered that aside from preventing the overcrowding lap issue, and story time induced narcolepsy, the Numero Uno advantage of reading to our children during meal time is that while we have their rapt attention, they finish whatever is on their plate.

Provided it isn't broccoli. Or cabbage. Or any kind of vegetable except sweet potatoes or carrots, preferably in the form of a pie or cake.

But you'd be amazed at the nutritious things children will eat, when they are distracted by a story and content to sit in front of their plate for 30 minutes or more. I've currently got my kids hooked on almonds. And salmon. And although they have never much cared for string cheese, when I peel the cheese so it looks like worms, and then read them a story about a mama bird feeding her baby birds, they'll chomp them right down.

Although strangers might shoot me funny looks whenever we're out and they overhear me telling my children to finish eating their worms, I silently applaud myself for using their highly creative imaginations to my advantage.

a new meaning for "boxed lunch"

One of Henry's all-time favorite activities is playing with a cardboard box.

He likes to climb in.

He likes to climb out.

He likes to sit down and stay awhile.

So one day last week, when the triplets wanted to eat their lunch outside ...

At the front of our house...

In an area where there is absolutely no fencing to hold in a curious toddler ...

I served Henry his lunch in a box.

He was happily and safely contained...

And sat for the entire duration of time we were outside, contentedly eating a grilled cheese sandwich, alongside his Toy Story posse.

When lunch time was over, we just pushed Henry and his box back in to the house. Then I dumped out all of his uneaten lunch and used it for him again, the very next day. (I just noticed that his box was for apples. Maybe that's why he liked it so much?)

Clean up is a snap!

Baby is contained and happy!

Change of scenery at the front of the house is fun and exciting!

All in all, this very well might be one of the most brilliant things I've ever thought up. (And quite possibly, the cutest.)

an amazing trip trick: organization (part iv) don't be loathing the clothing

I've put off writing about clothes organization because I can't really think of anything more boring. I would much prefer to write about my almost two-year-old (how is it possible that he is almost TWO?!) who almost gave himself a concussion tonight when in the ramp up of a tantrum, he threw himself on the floor and smacked his head against tile.

Well, I guess I did just write about that.

So, now hold your hats because I'm going to write about the organization of clothes for six people in a house that has two bedrooms, three very small closets and a mother who has a highly-evolved fashion sense.


(that is a total joke.)

(trust me.)

(if you could see what I'm wearing right now, you'd snort.)

As I've mentioned on more than one occasion, our house is technically a two bedroom, although we use it as a three bedroom. The third "bedroom", is in reality, a den conversion that lacks a closet - and - a door. But, because we decided not to move when we found out that we were more than doubling our family size in 2004, or adding another member to our clan in 2007, we have tried to maximize living in the small space that we have.

First and foremost, we have learned that we really do not need that many clothes. It seems that everyone in our family has a "uniform" that they wear, almost every day. When I consider the clothes that each one of us wear - it's pretty much three or four interchangeable outfits - every week. As such, we have tried to completely eliminate impractical clothes and shoes from our wardrobes.

Impractical clothes (and shoes) being defined as those that are uncomfortable - ugly - or something that we'd never (or hardly ever) wear. While keeping in mind that what wasn't impractical last year ... might be impractical this year ... so we are frequently doing an inventory and getting rid of clothes that we no longer wear, or can see ourselves wearing anytime in the future.

To help facilitate in this process, we keep a trash bag of discards always available and once every few weeks, we will sort through whatever we've pulled out of circulation to confirm they are no longer needed, before we pack them off to Goodwill.

Charlie has his own dresser, I have my own dresser, the girls share a dresser as do the boys. Because we recently decided to move Henry in to the bedroom with the door (when he's in a closed room he is more conducive to sleeping at nap time) to make room for his crib in the "boys room" we moved the "boys dresser" in to the girls room. This has actually worked out quite well because now I just have to make one stop with a basket full of clean children's clothes.

In so far as the children, pants, shirts, skirts and season-appropriate pajamas go in to their dressers. Dress shirts and dresses are hung up. Because space is at a premium since four children are sharing two dressers, we have moved all of their socks and underwear in to baskets that are readily accessible to them.

Sweaters and sweatshirts have been moved in to large baskets that are tucked into a cabinet in the girls' dresser for storage.

Dress-up clothes for the children are also stored in baskets. Which are then further stored, on top of the girls' dresser, which I bring down each morning so the kids can change their outfits 20 times a day. (which they do.) (seriously.) (i am absolutely, positively, not kidding.)

We installed coat racks - at a level the children can reach - where they hang up all of their jackets and pull-overs. One rack per child.

Winter clothes - specifically, warmer jackets, hats, mittens and thermal underwear - have been moved out to our garage and are stored in boxes that are labeled accordingly. Likewise, summer wear - specifically, bathing suits, tank tops, shorts - have been moved to our garage and are stored in boxes that are labeled accordingly. Depending upon the season, we will move these items in to the "general circulation" and move off-season gear out to the garage for storage.

We also move out to the garage for storage any clothes that are too large or too small for the children...

... As well as costumes that are too bulky to store inside the house.

Shoes for the children have been moved in to a large basket storage system.

Although I try to keep shoes segregated by slippers and sandals, dress shoes and play shoes, it seldom happens that the shoes stay separated for long. Still, this system keeps shoes all in one place and it's never very difficult to find matching pairs.

Here's a link to one that is similar to ours. (Except this one has five drawers and ours only has three.)

A few years ago, Charlie installed wire shelving racks in to all of our closets which maximizes the usable "void" space on top of our closets.

All of our sweaters and sweatshirts have been moved in to various baskets, which are very easily accessible.

Assorted hats have their own basket as do (does?) miscellaneous exercise equipment.

We bought a belt hangar to organize belts, a tie hangar to organize ties, and we replaced all of our plastic and easily warp-able hangers and freebie metal hangers from laundromats with sturdy wooden hangers. Amazon has them very reasonably priced. Here's a link.

I was so tired of shoes piling up on the floor of our closets, and after having tried several other shoe organization systems, a few years ago I purchased a shoe cubby that works great. What I really like - other than my shoes staying neatly organized - is that there is additional storage space on top.

Here's a link to one that is similar to ours.

Within the same collection of the shoe cubicle system - were some small shelves for the floor - that I purchased that we use to hold miscellaneous items like a Fender amplifier, free weights, our cremated dogs ashes - (which we have yet to sprinkle in the ocean) - and several bottles of red wine.

Please note: Charlie's cowboy boots that I begged him to purchase in 2001 during a trip to Oklahoma - and he has worn only once on the plane ride back home to California - definitely fall under the totally impractical category. But I won't let him get rid of them because they are just way too cool and if we ever move to Texas, he might need them.

In conclusion, I would like to add that this is such a chic blog. I can't imagine a guy would ever write about something like clothes and closet organization. So now, I'm just going to sit back and watch my statistics go through the roof.

Because I'm sure they will with a captivating post, such as this.

an amazing trip trick: what's in the car?

I wasn't planning to write about the contents of my vehicle ... at least not until I first wrote about how I organize our closets and shoes ... but yesterday we had a bit of a mishap while driving on the freeway. And while I was waiting for the fine people from the Automobile Association of America to show up and change our flat tire, I started taking pictures of the inside of our car and mentally drafting the content of this post.

I'm a big time camper ... and a happy one at that.

I love the challenge of going in to the wilderness with everything I need to survive for at least three or four hours. Or, overnight if the weather is warm. So whenever I leave the house, I am almost always thinking, "What if I get stuck somewhere. Do I have everything I need to make my situation tolerable?"

It is for that very reason I carry a bottle of wine and corkscrew almost everywhere I go.

And breath mints. I always have breath mints.

Our car has pockets on the doors, so on the driver side, I have a good supply of Pampers and Bed, Bath & Beyond 20% off coupons. As soon as they arrive in the mail, Costco coupons are added to my stash. Never again will I be unable to buy something that I need while I'm out because I forgot the coupon that will save me a few dollars. A couple years ago, I wised up and started storing all of the coupons that I will ever need in the car so I have them on hand when I'm out.

I also have an ample supply of waterproof pads which work exceptionally well to place in a carseat if you have small children that tend to say "I HAVE TO GO POTTY!! I HAVE TO GO POTTY!!" followed by "OH NO!" before you have the opportunity to slow from 55 miles an hour to a screeching halt.

On the passenger side, I have a large Johnson and Johnson First Aid kit. Within this kit I have added a bottle of Benadryl, because after William was stung by a bee while at a park, I figured it might be a good thing to have an antihistamine immediately available, in the event any of our children ever have an allergic reaction while we were out on one of our wild escapades.

In the dashboard, I have the vehicle owner manual, registration, insurance - a few maps - a bottle of Imodium and a box of Pepto Bismol. In my humble opinion there are few things worse than needing the soothing comfort of certain medications and not having them IMMEDIATELY available. So go on ahead and eat that donut. I got your back.

I have a trash bag, cell phone charger and a box of Kleenex...

And in the center console, I have some pens and paper, Princess bubbles, a Mini Mag flashlight, a tire pressure gauge, a screwdriver (not sure why), a floating penny (doesn't every vehicle have at least one?), some Baskin-Robbins coupons and that orange thing with the silver metal head is a Life Hammer.

My sister Beth bought Charlie and I each Life Hammers for our cars a few years ago, and I have made sure that it is stored in an easily accessible location, where I know it won't get tossed around in the vehicle should we ever (God forbid) flip in to a canal or get in to a serious accident where we are trapped inside. It gives me peace of mind having this little tool in both of our cars.

The hammer will shatter glass and there is a blade that will slice a seatbelt if you are unable to retract it. In my opinion, it is definitely worth the $23.00 (or less, if you buy them in bulk. What a great gift for friends and family, alike!!)

I also have my back pack / diaper bag which contains a change of clothes, wipes, diapers, sunscreen, cookies and a host of other life sustaining supplies.

In the trunk, I have a stroller with me at all times. Even when our children outgrow strollers, I'll probably still have one in the car.

I have a Mexican blanket that we use almost everyday. Anytime we are out, this works great as a table cloth for picnic tables, or a great ground cover for sitting down.

I have a beach umbrella that I picked up at Costco for $12.00 because in Southern California, it frequently happens that there is NO shade in parks and the sun beating down on you can get old after a while.

I have my beloved Baby Bjorn potty chair that I will tuck in the stroller basket and take whenever we leave the car. We (and by "we" I mean "the children") use that potty chair all the time. Whenever we are out at the zoo - or some park - if the kids have to go potty, 9 out of 10 times, I'll walk around a corner and let them do their business. Then, I just dump the contents in a planter (unless there is a "solid" deposit) and spritz the seat clean with my spray bottle. This method is so much easier than trying to schlep four small children in to a public restroom (particularly when I'm by myself) and I am all about keeping things easy.


Let's see. What else...

I have our kite, because you never know when you'll catch a good breeze ... and I have a bag that contains a sweatshirt for all six of us along with six hats.

I have an umbrella and an "empty" bag that is to be used - theoretically - to unload the contents of the car after one of our outings to conveniently bring everything inside.

(When I actually use this technique, it works great.)

Not shown in this picture, because it's not there (but will be when I restock our car tomorrow) are a few bottles of water and a box of Graham Crackers. And last but not least, I have jumper cables.

Several times within the past year, one of the children will click on a light in the back of the van and if I don't notice it before the next day, the battery will drain leaving me unable to start the car and a panic sets in because I MUST GET OUT OF THE HOUSE WITH THE CHILDREN.

The first time this happened, I ran across the street to my neighbor's house and asked if she wouldn't mind giving me a jump. She looked confused. "A jump? As in, on a rope? I'm not sure what you mean?"

When I explained that the battery was dead and I needed to jump start the car, she stepped back and said, "Oh goodness. I think we need a man for that."

A WHAT?!

A man?

To jump start a car?

I assured her that I'm fairly certain I knew how to do it and when she drove her car over in to my driveway - pulling parallel alongside my van - I masterfully put the red on red, black on black on her battery ... and the red on red, black on black on my battery and then directed that she start her car. When I started my car, ZOOM just like that, the engine turned over and I've never felt so proud to be a woman in all of my life.

The same scenario played out while my mother was in town and we again had a dead battery thanks to small children that turned on all the interior lights without my knowledge. And once again, I solicited the help of a neighbor and rolling up my sleeves, re-enacted my dead-battery jump start prowess while my mother gazed on in amazement.

Her daughter, the mechanic.

I am fully capable of doing things like refilling the washer reservoir, checking the oil, and jumping a dead battery. But when it comes to climbing under the car and securing a tire to a 4,000 pound vehicle that transports my offspring, I'll gladly fork over the $71.00 a year for membership to AAA.


Free maps, travel services, discounts at fine hotels and establishments across the country, and capable mechanics that show up in gleaming tow trucks within 30 minutes to save the day?

That is money well spent.

Amen to that.

an amazing trip trick: organization (part iii) the kitchen

In my dream house, there is a walk in pantry with ample space for cans, Costco-sized boxes of cereal, infrequently used appliances, a locking door, aromatherapy candles and a chaise lounge where I can relax and eat chocolate in peace.

Because I don't know when we will move in to our dream house - if we ever do - we are doing our best to make this house, the one where we live right at the very moment, be the house that we've always wanted. Even though it is about 30% the size of what we'd like it to be.

A few years ago, before we had children ... in fact, right around the time we thought for sure we'd spend the rest of our lives childless and never need to move in to a larger house ... we put in granite counter tops, installed the sink of all sinks, and because once we started upgrading - we couldn't stop - we replaced all of our perfectly functioning appliances with new stainless steel ones.

Less than a year later, we had triplets.

Very soon after our babies came home from the hospital, I could see that storage space in our cabinets was going to be a significant issue. We only had a few shelves to store food and appliances, and accessing the food and appliances was extremely difficult. Moving food outside to our garage wasn't a viable option because we had dogs in the garage - and every so often - rats that are the size of house cats.

Besides, the one time we had tried to store a brand new gallon of olive oil in the garage, some furry life form ate clean through the bottle.

One day while I was standing in our kitchen, asleep on my feet, I had a vision of a pantry consisting of large drawers, built in to an area that was currently occupied by a useless desk. So, out came the desk and we installed a four-shelved pantry system that now holds more food and appliances than the rest of the cabinets in our kitchen, combined.


Equally important as that upgrade - was the installation of roll-out drawers on select cabinets. This relatively simple and inexpensive upgrade has expanded the usability and efficiency of our kitchen more than I could have ever imagined. It has also saved my back and knees from having to bend down and hunt things out from the far back of cabinets.


We moved all of our bulk dry goods (i.e. flour, sugar) in to plastic canisters with labels so that they are readily accessible, the contents are clearly visible, they stay fresh longer, and are easily stored. We also purchased canned-good risers, which are plastic tiered shelves that allow you to position canned goods higher, so you can see what you've got. These are available at most home stores (Bed Bath & Beyond comes to mind), although you could also create your own by using 2x4 pieces of wood.


We went through our cabinets and got rid of things that had expired (like this apple cider vinegar that went bad THREE years ago) and consolidated duplicates.


We scrutinized all of the appliances that were taking up valuable storage space and made the decision to part with certain items ... like a cracked fondue pot that hadn't been used in 15 years. We also moved a vast majority of our canned goods (tamper proof) outside to our garage to free up space in our cabinets for the children's arts and craft supplies. I then moved all of the children's plates and bowls in to their own drawer, and stock all of their sippy cups in a large basket. We stock bibs and face cloths for the children in a large basket, too.


To recap:

1) We identified a space in our kitchen where we could better utilize the space by constructing a pantry. Although this construction project cost us ~$2,000.00 ... it was a lot less expensive than selling our house and moving because we had no place to store bread. Another alternative here would have been to put in an open-face shelving system and use large baskets for storage.

2) We installed roll-out shelves which made the functionality of our cabinets substantially better. This improvement cost around $70.00 per shelf, but I've seen metal mesh roll-out shelves that cost half as much.

3) We cleaned out, consolidated and containerized whatever we could. We used canned good risers so we could see what we had in the cabinets, more easily. Dry bulk goods, cereals, nuts and similar items were put in containers that store the material better and are stackable. I then labeled the containers with the contents on the front. Personally, after trying a lot of various storage systems, I like the Sterilite Ultra Seal Food Storage set and have two full sets in various sizes. The plastic is grade 5 polypropylene, as opposed to grade 7 polycarbonate (which may contain BPA).

Eventually, once I work up the courage, I'm planning to move the children's cups to a lower shelf in our kitchen, so that they can help themselves to drinks of water from the door dispenser on our refrigerator - whenever they need it. But I'm not there yet.

Seriously? I can't imagine that I will trust our children with running water, whenever they want it, anytime in the next five years.

an amazing trip trick: organization (part ii) LEGO of me! (toy management)

Have you ever felt the urge to throw away every toy in your house?

Yeah, me too.

That is why a few months ago, I found myself stomping through our house with a trash bag in hand and shoving in to that bag at least 80% of the toys that were cluttered all over the place.

I made the hasty decision to do this after I felt like I was constantly picking up the same stuff over and over (and over) again. Several times, everyday, I was picking up toys that the kids weren't even playing with, but removing from their storage space and dumping all over the floors.

At first, I was ready to throw the whole bag (actually, all four bags) directly in to the trash, but I caught myself. There were some very nice toys that I knew our children would play with, but not when they were strewn all over the floor and shoved in to drawers. So I methodically went through the toys - once the children were out of my way and not in a position to intefere in bed sleeping and I made an immediate determination with each item.

Were there parts missing?

Do they play with it?

Do they enjoy it?

Is it age appropriate?

Is it a pain for me to clean up?

At least 50% of the toys I put in to the four bags were donated to Goodwill and the remaining 50% were moved in to clear storage bins in our garage, that were labeled and easily accessible. This was the beginning of "toy circulation" as I know it, and these days, it is a very big deal for the children to bring something "new" in from the garage to play with.

However, whenever something "new" comes in to the house - something from the house goes in to the garage. This is key, because otherwise, our house would soon be filled to the brink with everything that I had moved out because children are natural born hoarders and must carry in their little arms whatever they can get their hands on as if their very lives depended upon having that ... thing.

At least monthly, I will do an inventory of what we have in circulation. If toys become broken or lose parts, or if I make the decision that the children have outgrown the toy, or never liked it to begin with, I will immediately discard it in the trash, or donate it to charity. Also, I have figured out that if we have the space to store things, we will generate more things. Therefore, I am of the mind that no new storage bins will be purchased. If something doesn't fit, room must be made, even if that means I'm packing off more stuff to charity.

Initially, I thought the kids would really miss the toys that I removed. But in contrast, once I moved out more than ¾ of their stuff, they started playing better - they were more focused - and interacted more cooperatively than they ever did before.

The sensory overload of too much stuff that was affecting me had been affecting them, too. Or, maybe they were just in shock wondering where all their stuff went?

Anyway. Potato, Potatoe.

I choose to believe that with just about everything in life - but especially toys - less is more. The more toys that you have out, the more that children are distracted. Particularly young children. When I have less toys out for them to play with, they are engaged and not as easily overwhelmed by all the "choices".

What I find extremely interesting is that Henry's favorite toy at nine-months old, is a metal mixing bowl and large wooden spoon. Likewise, our triplet's favorite toy at three and a half years old, is a metal mixing bowl and large wooden spoon. A close second favorite toy, for both the baby and the toddlers, would have to be an empty toilet paper, or paper towel roll.

Or maybe a cardboard box.

The point is: It doesn't take much to keep young children happy. The simpler, the better.

One of my greatest abominations are toy chests that are stuffed with every item imaginable. Toy chests that are stuffed in this manner, soon turn in to toy compost piles.

As for me, I need to know exactly where all the pieces to various puzzles are located - and not have blocks mixed in with trains mixed in with books mixed in with dolls mixed in with stuffed animals.

Everything has it's place and everything, at the end of the day, is tucked away in it's place.

Because the kids know where things are - and where things go - they have been working with me on cleaning up after they play.

I make it a point that if we are playing with blocks, we put blocks away before we bring out trains. Or, if we are playing with dolls, the dolls go away before we break out crayons.

We don't have the space to set up a separate toy room, and even if we did, I doubt that we would. The kids are happiest playing near me and I am usually in either the kitchen or the family room. Also, even though our house is relatively small and children outnumber us 2 to 1, our home is not dominated by toys. Instead, we have a very kid-friendly environment. But with the toys that we have in the house, I have organized them in such a way that when they are put away at night, there is almost no evidence that children live here.

Not that I'm trying to hide the fact that we have kids, but after a long day spent with children, the last thing I want to do is trip over toys on my way to the couch whilst holding a glass of wine.

It is very important that our house is our sanctuary and it's not very relaxing to be surrounded with kid paraphernalia 24/7.

So, I select toys and toy storage systems that blend with our home and don't glaringly look like kid furniture. And, I devoted all the drawers in our entertainment system to holding various toys and puzzles.

Our children's activity table is honey-maple wood that works great for them - and goes well with our decor. During the day, it holds train tracks, puzzles, blocks and books. At night, all of those toys are tucked in large roll out drawers underneath and it holds a bowl of popcorn and a bottle of wine. This is a timeless piece of furniture because not only does it blend with our home now, but as the kids grow older - it will grow with them. Fifteen years from now, when they are teenagers - they can still use this table to construct 1,000-piece puzzles or play a game of Risk - and not feel goofy for playing on a kiddie table.

I use baskets extensively.

I could write poetry about my love of baskets.

Wire baskets, wicker baskets, fabric baskets, straw baskets, bark baskets, sea grass baskets, wood baskets.

I love baskets and I use them for everything.

Some baskets are out in plain sight, others are tucked in to drawers.

I keep large baskets or bins in each of the rooms in our house. All of the toys I have divided up based upon use or type. For example, stuffed animals are in William's room. Electronics are in the living room. Dolls are in the girls room. Puzzles, books, cooking gear, trains, trucks and blocks are in the family room.

I have moved bulky toys (shopping carts, doll carriages) and excess books (that also go in to circulation) out to our garage where they are stored in accessible bins.

Because I am frequently moving through the house - and the children follow me wherever I go - they have various "new" play items in each room. Yet before we move from one room to the next, it is easy enough to toss all the items that they played with (unless there is something in particular they want to keep out), back in to the basket.

Toys with numerous parts, I only bring out when I can supervise or interact with the children playing. For instance, Legos are great, but after playing with them for around 30 minutes, I will pack them up and put them away. As much as the kids love Legos, after a certain period of time (10 minutes?) the art of building stuff, becomes the art of hiding and dumping stuff and colorful blocks will disappear - only to resurface in the dishwasher and/or body of Charlie's acoustic guitar.

Unless your kids are older and understand the concept of picking up after themselves, I would limit the number of toys with parts that they can play with. For example, we have wood food that the kids love. But, I will only let them play with one thing at a time. If I were to give them the birthday cake, pizza set and sandwich set - in no time flat - all of the pieces are all over the house. The same applies to their magnetic dress-up doll sets and string bead sets.

Some might call this hiding toys from children.

I consider it successful toy management.

So, in summary:

1) Reduce the number of toys in your home by at least 50%;

2) Either give excess toys to charity, put them in storage bins for circulation, or throw them out;

3) Maintain toy storage space that works well with your decor;

4) Employ baskets and bins for toy segregation and keep different toys in various parts of your home. Keeping in mind that not everything needs to be in one space and chances are, your children will remain entertained for longer, if your whole house, as opposed to one room - is open for them to play;

5) Put your feet up and drink a glass of wine.

Next, I'll be reviewing kitchen space and storage.