Organizational Project #2

 FILES!

 Since our move, our files have been such a disaster.  When we unpacked we just threw all the files in our new filing cabinet.  Since then we have been having a hard time finding things. 

So my next project was to spend a whole night organizing the files.  One whole drawer is dedicated to our important documents, alphabetized, and purged of all non-essential records.  The other drawer is divived into my personal files on the left and Mike's personal files on the right.

It feels so much better having things organized, doesn't it?

We made it back to KL just in time for Chinese New Years

 We made it back to KL just in time for Chinese New Years.  Joseph and I helped unpack all the veggies from the market.

The green veggie in Helen's hand is a veggie they only sell at Chinese New Years time.  It is like a shallow green bok choy flower (if that even makes any sense at all).

 I have been shopping around for a preschool to send Andrew to, and I always take pictures to show Mike when we get home.  Here are two of our options:

Chiltern House in Bangsar

Children's House in Damansara Heights

Saturday mornings I run to the plaza (to let Mike sleep--aren't I such a great wife)

This is what our run looks like

Another shot of our run (red lanterns hung for Chinese New Year)

The Mont Kiara mall is decked out for Chinese New Year

The turn-around point for my run is the fish pond

One Thursday night I had 30 minutes to kill before dinner and was trying to keep the boys out of the kitchen since Helen was making spring rolls.  I couldn't think of anything to do.  So then I took them back to my closet we got all dressed up just like mamma and they couldn't have been happier.  Their favorite was putting on the high heels.  I was so worried they would roll an ankle.

Yes they have my makeup brushes.  They thought it was SO COOL to "put on makeup" just like mom.  And yes, those are expensive MAC brushes.  What was I thinking.  They did survive though.

Eating dinner -- Mike is doing Chinese flash cards with the boys

Organizational Project #1

My Organizational Project #1:

GET THE KIDS TO APPRECIATE AND PLAY WITH THEIR TOYS (a novel idea, I know)

Okay so this is normally what our toy area looks like.  Well, probably even messier.

Okay so I personally think the boys have some cool toys.  But they do not play with their toys.  And I get the impression that they do not even appreciate them.  So my goal when we got home was to introduce...drumroll please...the toy rotation.

 I waited until the boys were in bed, and spent an hour or so dividing the toys into four stacks of toys, one for each week of the month.  Each stack has a few big toys, a few small toys, puzzles, box games, and some movement toys (for OT, things like seesaw, giant ball, etc).

 Then I packaged them all up and stored them in labeled storage areas around the house.

 It was quite the process.  I had to put my little ipod on with headphones and rock out to Mike's superfast techno to keep focused and moving.

Here are the final piles about to get put away

We started with week #1 toys.

 The next morning the boys ran out and were so excited.  It was so funny.  Who would ever think you would be excited for LESS toys, but they were.  They played with the little zoo from Grandma Marianne for a long time and were more creative finding other toys to go down the little zoo slide.

We are now on week #3.  They boys love it because they keep getting new things to play with.  However this week we are a little short on toys--for some reason I shortchanged this toy distribution  and we are kind of struggling with this week's allotment.  But tomorrow we switch to #4 so hopefully it will all work out okay again.

I feel so much better now that I finished this project.  The toy area is so much less cluttered, and I don't spend all night putting away all their messy toys.  I feel like I can think clearly again.  Hooray.

Stay tuned for my organizational project 2012 #2: wardrobe and closet makeover

One last trip to California before we fly back

 Since we fly in and out of LAX we spent our last day in the US in Irvine with my parents.  Here is our last beach trip before we go...we went to Corona Del Mar (Newport Beach).

Andrew and Grandma Jillair are such buddies, especially when it comes to digging with sand toys

Mike tells Joseph: "Let's go check out the tide pools and the beach cave!"

Joseph is probably thinking, "In Thailand they don't have cold water with waves like this..."

Keep going to the next page for more new posts & pictures...