Some days I feel on top of things. I feel like everything is running smoothly. I feel like I’ve got this three kids thing down.
Today was NOT one of those days.
Long morning with Kole. He was so fussy – didn’t take a good nap. I picked the girls up from school and Ellie had her annual check up at the doctor at 4:00. I took all three kids with me. I know. Don’t ever take three kids to the doctor if you can at all avoid it. Ellie had to get a shot. She FREAKED out. Crying hysterically. Addison started to cry because Ellie was crying. Kole started to cry because it was so noisy with the girls crying. It was a full on CIRCUS. I got home and got everyone calmed down. Threw the girls in the tub and threw a frozen pizza in the oven. Threw my hair in a bun and threw a load of clothes in the washer. Got the girls out of the tub and threw Kole in. A lot of throwing is going on at this point. Got them all clean and in pajamas (yes it’s only 5:30 but I am counting down to bedtime) just in time to hear a beep beep beep! What is that noise I keep asking myself. The pizza! I run downstairs only to find I’ve burned dinner. Crap. They’ll have to eat it anyway because Kole is so fussy I can’t set him down and I haven’t even started homework with Ellie. They eat a lousy meal and I eat their lousy leftovers and somehow we make it through our evening routine. Kenny comes in the door and the kids run to him – DADDY! I want to run to him to. SAVE ME! He can see it on my face and swoops in to put the kids in bed while I clean up the charred remnants of a Tombstone and reach for the Tylenol. Extra Strength.
It’s now past 10:00 at night and I am finally recovering from the day. I’m feeling a bit better now because I just went through my Home Decor binder that I finished putting together yesterday. Because we are house hunting home decor has been on my brain a lot. I’ve been compiling ideas for our next house for quite a while now and it feels so nice to have all of my magazine clippings and ideas organized. This binder takes me to a little happy place full of white kitchens, wood floors, and beautiful furnishings.
And tonight was a night that I needed to escape to my little happy place.
I just bought a big white binder from Target and put some fun yellow scrapbook paper in it.
Then I threw in a few thickers to spell home decor. Thickers make everything happy, don’t they!?
I divided it into the areas I’ve been focusing on: kitchens, mudrooms, scrapbook rooms, closets, laundry rooms, paint colors, decorating, and of course, organizing. Lots of fun organizing inspiration! Then I just punched holes in all of my clippings and placed them in the right category.
I love these dividers from Target because they have pockets in them to hold all of my loose notes about random things I want to remember if we build or re-model.
A VERY happy place to fall after a VERY long day. :)
xoxo, Erin
erin- i love that binder and your home inspiration ideas!!! i have been having long days like that, too. i am counting down to the finale of dwts, when i get my husband back. it’s been a long season for us here with very very very long days. i wanted to let you know that thanks to YOU, i have started scrapbooking. it’s baby-steps for me at the moment- i am doing a pre-K scrapook for my oldest (school year in review), and an artwork scrapbook for all the great age 4 artwork she’s made at home. :-) i am keeping my expectations low- so far, so good! :-)
thickers are awesome. Your binder is great! I could look at things like that for hours. Oh…wait…I do. On pinterest. So addicting there. I love decorating ideas. I have (or will have soon) a tiny apartment so I dont get to do much. But I keep picutes so I can drea. *sigh*
I TOTALLY get what your day felt like. There are many days when I feel like the day can only get worse. Thanks for sharing! You are a trooper taking 3 kiddos to the doc.
Shannon in PA
You are amazing to get through that day – I totally relate. Can’t believe you managed a load of washing on top of everything!
PS Love your blog
Oh boy, the witching hour…and throwing in a doctor’s visit only amplifies it! That goodness for daddy – some days I practically throw the kids at him! It’s good you have a “happy place”‘ to escape to – I don’t scrapbook but I knit and that’s where I hide after a busy day. Hope this week gets better! :)
Oh I’ve been there with my three as well! Thank goodness for tomorrow, right? And for daddies!
Just like Amanda said, the first thing I thought of when I saw your binder was Pinterest. You must join if you haven’t already!
Erin! I so wish we lived closer! I was having one of those days yesterday and woke with a giant cold sore as a result of my stress filled day! Awesome! Anyway, I love your binder idea…you are so fun! Hoping today is a better day for you and me too! LOL
I love your binder. I have plans for one just have not started to work on it yet. I have to agree with the other posters – definitely try pinterest if you haven’t already. You will fall in love!
I have a binder like that also, as we are still in the design phase of building our home. I recently found this website http://www.houzz.com/ and it is AWESOME! There are SO many pictures of beautiful homes and I love to get inspiration. Just click on whatever room you are interested in viewing and thousands of results come up. Check it out! White kitchens, spacious mudrooms and well planned laundry rooms is exactly what I have been looking at also!
Oh, sorry about the traumatic shot incident. So know how that goes!!! Way to go Kenny for making it home in time to come to the rescue!
Glad you are having so much fun with the binder, it is such a great idea to have it all written down. It’s so hard to think of all the little things at the time you need to. A mud room is the one thing I wish I had in my house and if I could go back and change it I would! You’ll be so glad someday you had it all written down in your trusty binder! :)
So glad you found some ease in your happy place after a day like that! I’ve been there, I know.
Okay…what in the world is a “thicker” ?? Are they those letters? why are they called thickers? Forgive my ignorance, but what??? I’m a scrapbooker so this is probably awful to admit that I haven’t a clue what thickers are….but I’m here to admit it. (assuming they have something to do with scrapbooking, of course. I could be wrong.)
Okay I’m off now to create a binder like that for myself. Because I need me a happy place, too!
Cute, Erin! It’s nice to have it all in one place.
I’d love to see your pinterest board for this!
love it! i have one too, but not as cute…need to dress it up a bit and it those pockets at target!
Love your binder idea Erin! I have a folder of ideas for my future kitchen as that is our next remodel project! I too love white kitchens:) I couldn’t help but notice the mention of burning pizza…not the burning part but that it was a Tombstone. Was it a Tombstone pizza? I live where they are made!
I turned my home decor binder into an online blog. I just take pictures of the magazine pages that I usually would rip out. That way its with me always on my phone and I’m not lugging a binder around.
We’ve built 2 houses so you still need a place to hold your physical things like pieces of wood floor, paint samples, etc. but for papers my blog has now become my old binder.
Hope all is well! We need to get together with you and Ann. My baby is due in 2 weeks so lets wait a while but I enjoy reading your stuff. Thanks for sharing.
I am loving ready about your binders. I’m in the process of doing just the same and have gotten some GREAT ideas from you. I have a HOME DECOR binder from when we built our house . . . your’s looks just like mine. If I didn’t know better I would have thought you copied mine. :)