No More Mess!

This week the boys have been on Spring Break. Our big project has been to re-organize the toy room. We even cleaned out the closet. Unfortunately, I didn't take "before" pictures. But here's the final look. :) An inexpensive bookshelf from Wal-Mart, some soft baskets, and cheap (yet sturdy) plastic bins from Sterilite were key to this project. And I made some labels to make it easy on the kids to find things (and put them back where they belong). Although I think I'm missing three or four. I'll get those on tonight. :)

A Day in the Life of Wellington the Duck

The boys with their Scentsy Buddy Christmas presents

If you've followed some of my posts, you may know that I am an Independent Scentsy Consultant. Well seeing as how I sell these great products myself, it's only natural that I have a lot of them in my home. This includes the Scentsy Buddies designed with your kids in mind! My two boys look through my Scentsy catalogs from time to time, and I casually asked them last fall which animals were their favorites. They were going to be Christmas presents. Penny the Pig for the oldest and Wellington the Duck for the youngest. So they've had them for a few months now. They love the scents I chose for them, and sleep with them often. If you don't know this, each stuffed animal comes with a Scent Pak of your choice that hides inside a little zippered pocket.

A couple weeks ago, my youngest had a nightmare. My husband had already gotten up to get ready for work, so I let my Little Man join me in bed. Most people with nightmares can fall back asleep faster if someone is there to comfort them and keep them safe. The next night, he had TWO bad dreams but didn't wake up scared until after the second. Again, my husband was up and getting ready for work, so Little Man joined me again. He rarely has bad dreams much less three in two days, and I knew this was bothering him. So I explained to him that I used to (cough) cuddle a stuffed animal to make me feel better when I was alone. So he stayed with me, cuddled a bear, and instantly felt safer.

The next day, Little Man woke up bright and early with a smile on his face. He was so happy that he didn't have any bad dreams that night, saying that Wellington had kept him safe!!! Wellington was his new best friend, and he took him everywhere (except school of course). But I was expected to treat Wellington as if he were any other person. Even while Little Man was at school, I was supposed to care for this yellow ball of fluff and feed him until my son got back. This cute little stuffed duck even had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with us. Each toy and game Little Man played with, Wellington joined him.When Little Man went to the bathroom, so did Wellington, using a stool to "stand" and reach the toilet. Little Man also helped to make sure he had healthy hand-washing habits. Wellington had the same daily routines and same expectations as the boys.

The next day was the same. And fortunately I was able to take photos of Wellington doing activities all around the house. So here is a peek at The Day in the Life of Wellington the Duck. Now the fascination has started to wear off, but Wellington is still doing some of the routines and activities with Little Man. And he is still known to talk to people, answer questions, and tell secrets. I'm just glad Little Man enjoys his present so much. :) Even Big Brother has started playing with Penny the Pig more often. Wellington has definitely been treated like a member of the family!!

P.S. When you buy Wellington, he comes with a rain coat. Which is adorable!! But seeing as how it doesn't rain inside, we opted to use a Build-A-Bear shirt instead. And all of Wellington's food was really eaten by Little Man. :)

Morning Checklist

Throughout the Day

Even Bathroom Trips!!

It's that time of year! WHOOHOO!!

You know what happens right about now. Every year. Without fail. Yep that's right. TAXES! Wasn't what you were expecting me to say though was it? Maybe you were thinking of a holiday, or colds and allergies due to all of the pollen.

Well that's it. Taxes. I have been given the luxury of never having to do my own taxes before. Being in the Navy (probably any branch of the military though) has an added perk that you can schedule an appointment and take all of your papers and have a trained person do your taxes for you, thanks to H&R Block. At least that's how it's been for us these past 11 years. And I would love for them to continue processing all of our data every year to come, if I could.