Sunshine and Sippy Cups

This post about how to clean holiday messes is sponsored by Bissell and Linqia…. If you want to promote awesome brands like this too, sign up on Linqia.com :)

A photo posted by Meagan Paullin (@sunandsipcups) on Dec 12, 2014 at 5:59pm PST

It’s the holly jolly time of year, am I right? :) The time of year when everything is a little brighter, prettier, shinier. We wear our best outfits, use our best dishes, and put out out best decorations. It’s also a time when lots of friends and family come to visit, which means lots of holiday entertaining…. And probably lots of messes. So, I’m here to help some of that mess-stress, with an awesome tip on how to prevent them any time of year, as well as a way to clean up AFTER all of the holiday fun is over. Check it, yo…. [Read more…]

This post was compensated by IKEA for your participation in this campaign from the Mom It Forward Blogger Network. All thoughts about the #First59 campaign for making mornings easier are all mine…

So, a while back I told you about one of my goals around here was to get more organized so that we could make mornings with our crazy schedules less stressful. My Mister recently went back to work full time, after working at home with me the past few years. Which leaves me trying to work all day – with a wild four year old little girl. I also have my nephews most mornings and after school. My mom lives with me part time, so I have to keep track of her mail and things. The boys have sports and events for me to attend, the Mister has a side business cutting vinyl, and of course – my own business, conference calls and travel, cleaning and cooking… And trying to squeeze in a little “me time” in between. It’s a challenge, to say the least!

But it’s not just me….  IKEA conducted a recent survey about Americans’ morning habits. In the results, 72 percent of the respondents said that a stressful morning affected the rest of their day, and three in four people do not have a regular weekday morning routine. Building more consistent routines has been on my to-do list for awhile, and this was the perfect push to really do something about it, so I’ve been really excited to partner with IKEA on their “First:59” program – it’s all about sharing ideas and tips on solving common morning routines, and the areas we all use to get ready, to help us all make the most out of the first hour of our day!

And as you can see – I definitely need some help! This area between the kitchen and laundry room started out with good intentions. But clearly, I never finished things up. This is what was currently on my wall. Yes, that calendar says April. Yes, that’s a clear sign of unorganization. Another statistic from their survey: 49% of adults over 35 that get stressed in the morning identified getting kids prepared for the day causes the most stress. I’m not 35 yet, but with getting the boys breakfast and to the bus each morning, helping with homework and snacks after school, keeping up with their other activities, and Abby starting preschool soon – I definitely need to find a way to streamline our morning routine and my daily schedule. THIS was not cutting it.

Isn’t this so much better?! I added the KVISSEL wall magazine rack to hold mail and the kids’ papers. Then I used my label maker to create little name labels for each cubby. It’ll be a lot more efficient than the 4 piles I have randomly around the kitchen…. Then I added another piece I’m super duper excited about – the LUNS chalkboard. It’s a great spot to write reminders or fun messages, plus it’s magnetic too! {And I put it together all by myself, no tools even needed, it has it’s own little tool that you just tighten up the screws with – easy peasy!} Now, each morning I can see everything at a glance, and plan my day to fit. SO much better than scrambling last minute trying to find permission slips, homework, or remember who has a game or event that night. {Or getting a huge surprise when the boys show up early, due to a half day I didn’t have on the calendar!}

And – since I’ll be using this area several times daily, I wanted to make it more fun, to brighten up my mornings :) And it’ll make the kids more excited to use it too, which will ensure I actually get those calendars and important papers I need. So, this month I added some pretty holiday garland, a fun Christmas message, and some cute magnets. This is the chalkboard, with our letters to Santa, and some of my favorite ceramic Santas on the shelf. {I painted the one second from left :)} See more:

Here’s another look. My old white board, with the super cool IKEA chalkboard nearby, and the mail sorter underneath. I also grabbed a few cheap frames to balance out each side, and filled them with pretty holiday scrapbook paper. Next month I’ll change it out, maybe an inspirational message to the chalkboard, and some sign-up flyers reminding me to check out the gyms in our neighborhood….

Now – I’m not always good at visualizing how things will fit and look in my house when ordering online – or even when shopping in-store. So I had to wait for these pieces to arrive first {along with a few goodies to make-over my desk, another MAJOR daily trouble spot. Watch for that post coming soon too!} But now that everything is in place, I can order the other accessories I was eyeing from IKEA. Underneath these organizers I’m going to add a couple of FINTORP rails, with accessories: a little bin and bucket for things like magnets, chalk, and markers. And extra hooks for my purse and the kiddos’ backpacks. Which makes mornings much more grab and go. Then I’ll also add a low row of FINTORP magnetic knife racks too, that Abby can use to hang up all of her “masterpieces” that are covering my fridge, and I can stick my sets of keys onto. Both of these products are actually meant for the kitchen – but that’s the beauty of IKEA, right? They have such clever pieces, you can use them in a million unique ways in your home. And it’s all so darn affordable too!

To learn more visit First59.com for more inspiration, and IKEA.com to shop your favorite products. You can also check out the #First59 hashtag across social media to see how other real moms have simplified their mornings, ask questions, or share your tips!

Twitter | Facebook |Pinterest