The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

{30 days of pinspiration} Day 4: Lego Quest

When it comes to Legos, my boys are like moths to a flame.  They are addicted.  They would spend hours in the Lego aisle at Target if I let them.  And you should see them with the catalog we got in the mail!  Let’s just say they have sets circled and their sweet little names written across the page. So yeah, my boys love their Legos.

I, on the other hand, have a love/hate relationship with them.  I hate the small pieces and the never-ending cleanup, but I do appreciate the unlimited creative possibilities.  I also like that Legos can be interesting to all ages.  If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, right?
So with this pin:

{via}


An idea for structured family time was born!  From the website, Lego Quest is “a non-competitive, creative building challenge resource for LEGO loving kids that lasted for three years and resulted in 51 unique quests.”  So fun and easy. 

 
 
We started doing a few challenges every Saturday morning. We drag our bins of pieces to the table, I read the quest (and explain any terms that aren’t familiar) and set them loose. Fun for the whole family and memories in the making.
 

{30 days of pinspiration} Day 3: 12 Months of Kindness

Today’s post is kind of a Pinspiration stretch, so bear with me while I explain.  One evening months ago, I was browsing Pinterest when I came across a pin for “25 Rules for Mothers of Sons”.  After reading pages and pages of Tabitha’s blog, Team Studer, I quickly became a follower!  She is inspirational in so many ways, but one thing I love is her commitment to 12 Months of Kindness.  In her words, “…it is a monthly reminder to say thank you to others and thank you for this life
that we are so lucky to have.”

Needless to say, I loved the idea.  Here is our list for 2013’s 12 Months of Kindness:

——————————————–

JANUARY: Troops – Make a care package for the troops serving overseas.
FEBRUARY: Food Bank – Purchase groceries to donate to the local food bank.
MARCH: Veterans – Donate fly-fishing supplies to the local chapter of Project Healing Waters
APRIL:  Purchase cards from Cards that Give and send to family, friends and maybe blog readers!
MAY: Babies – Donate baby supplies to our local pregnancy center.
JUNE: Literacy – Donate our favorite books to the local library.
JULY: Seniors – Send happy mail to our grandmothers.
AUGUST: Teachers – Choose a teacher and donate supplies via Donors Choose.
SEPTEMBER: Education – Prepare school kits via Church World Services.
OCTOBER: Adoption – Donate money toward the adoption of a baby on Reece’s Rainbow.
NOVEMBER: Kids – Purchase (or maybe hold a drive!) for The Pajama Program.
DECEMBER: Our Neighbor – Adopt a family in need for Christmas.
 
————————————————-


So that is my very round-about story of today’s project: a care package for Marines deployed overseas!  We chose a Marine through AnyMarine.com and after reading their request, went with the theme: WARMTH. 

For more ideas about care packages for the troops, see our post from 2011 here.

 
——————————–
Tabitha has just created a separate blog specifically for the 12 Months of Kindness Project!  Be sure to check it out here.

{30 days of pinspiration} Day 2: A Fun Addition to my Project Life Album


I‘ve declared my love for Project Life on this blog before.  The system is so simple to make your own and gosh, there is so much inspiration out there!  I’m always keeping my eyes open for new things to try.  One of those great “why didn’t I think of that?” ideas was on this page from Michelle Wooderson:


I love the little chevron bag tucked into the 3″x4″ pocket and knew I had to try it myself!  Here’s my version:


I added a little story about my middle son and tucked it right into the envelope.  I imagine someday when he looks back over the albums, he’ll discover a note just for him.  So fun.

Still need to add in the rest of the journaling, but my pen ran out!  Please share if you have a favorite brand!  I found my bags from Hannah’s etsy shop, Bahana Splits Boutique.  She has tons of options and I know I’ll be back for more colors and styles.   

Linking to The Mom Creative and all those crafty Project Lifers today!

{30 days of pinspiration} Day 1: Baby Clothes Organization


Welcome to Day 1 of my Pinspiration challenge! 

Today’s project deals with a topic my home is lacking: organization.  I was on a roll with my systems and “everything has a place” mentality in the old house.  But since we moved back in September, I’ve felt like I’m back at the very beginning!

So I started in the nursery.  As much as I’ve told her it’s just not allowed, my sweet baby girl is growing like a weed and quickly outgrowing her newborn wardrobe!  Sadly, it was time to organize and pack away.  I needed a system that didn’t take up lots of room and was easy to distinguish sizes. 

A quick search to my Pinterest boards and I found these:

Charlie at Attempting Aloha’s clothing system (scroll down towards the end of the post)
Free storage labels from Joelle at inBloom Studios

Charlie found her storage bags at the Dollar Tree, but I picked one up at Five Below, since it was more convenient. (Amazon has a similar bag)
 
My process was incredibly simple.  I went through her closet, her dresser and the growing pile of outgrown clothing on her changing table and threw them all on the floor.  Then I organized by type/outfit and folded. 

Can you tell this girl has been spoiled?? 

The last step was to pack them away.  Too easy.  Why do I procrastinate on the easiest projects?  And bonus!  Her 0-3 month things only fill up half of the bag, so I’ll have room to add her 3-6mo clothing when the time comes. 

Feels so good to have that project checked off the list…and two pins actually completed! 

Less Materialism, More Intentional Living

Amazon Disclosure Policy

The Big White Farmhouse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Archives

Copyright © 2024 The Big White Farmhouse · Theme by 17th Avenue