Create your own coffee bar in 5 easy steps

Good coffee is a pleasure. Good friends are a treasure. 

When my husband and I bought our house, we knew that we wanted it to be filled often with family and friends. We love having guests over, and we love to make everyone feel welcome.

10 tips to turn a nursery into a big kid bedroom

"All children, except one, grow up." -J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Well, Emma hasn't grown up quite yet, but the time is certainly flying by. I can't believe she's already 2!

And, as a 2 year old, we decided it was time to redesign her bedroom,

Pantry organization: 7 people who are absolutely killing it!

People who visit our house sometimes ask us, "Are you preparing for some kind of nuclear war?"

They are referring to the large amount of food we keep stockpiled in our pantry.

Postpartum essentials: Which postpartum supplies I stocked up on for a healthy recovery

When I came home from the hospital after having my first baby, I had no idea what I would need afterwards for a healthy recovery. I bought things that I didn't need to because the hospital stocked me up on samples before I came home, and I

Essential breastfeeding supplies: How I organized my nighttime nursing station

If you choose to breastfeed, you will be spending many, many hours of the day and night doing so. Why not make it comfortable and convenient? Today, I'm so excited to share with you how I organized the corner of my bedroom to make it a comfy, convenient nursing station, and which supplies I always keep on hand to make nighttime

An organized art station for kids

If you saw my post 2 weeks ago on beautifully organized art stations for kids, then you know that I've had art supply organization on the brain.

Even as a one-year-old, Emma has accumulated quite the art supply

10 Beautiful, Organized Art Stations for Kids

I miss our bar.

The one in our basement. It has been completely taken over by my one-year-old's art supplies.

It started out small: a bag of markers, a

A perfectly packed diaper bag: Toddler version

A few months ago, I published a post called A Perfectly Packed Diaper Bag. It's my most popular post to date. I dumped out all of my diaper bag essentials, photographed them, and created a free printiable checklist to keep you and your newborn organized

Get organized with a weekly to do list

UPDATE: 2021 Planner and calendar pages available here. :) 

I heard somewhere that successful people don't have to do lists. Instead, they schedule their "to dos" on specific days of their calendars. When those days come- they get it done!

That idea has stuck with me. I like it. But

Digital Christmas Card List

Are you planning on sending out Christmas cards this year? If so, who will you be sending them to? Do you have everyone's updated addresses? Do you know the exact number of cards and stamps you will need for your list? How will you make sure you aren't forgetting anyone?

For me, the answer to all of these questions is a digital spreadsheet that is 100% customizable, editable, and simple to use year after year. This baby saves me TONS of time every Christmas season. So today I thought I'd share so that you can use it, too!

8 Great Ideas for Organizing Wrapping Paper

Hi guys! If you follow me on Pinterest, then you know that I've been a little obsessed with wrapping stations lately. I've been scouring the world wide web for ideas and inspiration, and today I'm ready to share with you the best of the best gift wrapping stations!

What to pack in your baby's daycare bag: A free printable checklist

Welcome to another post in my Perfectly Packed series! Be sure to check out my other posts in the series as well! Please note that posts in this series include affiliate links.  

A few days ago I shared a post about how to pack the perfect daycare bag. 

Today I promised that I would share a free printable checklist for you. So here it is: woo hoo! I divided this list into two sections: things that you can pack once and leave at daycare ("to stay") and things that you need to bring every day ("to go".) 

A Perfectly Packed Daycare Bag

Because my husband and I both work full-time, our baby spends the day at a daycare. We've been really blessed to find a wonderful lady who runs a fantastic daycare with just a few other children in her house. Emma loves playing with her friends there, and I love the fact that she's spending the day in a home with a family. Since she's our only child so far, it also makes me happy that she gets to interact with other children of all different ages.  

That said, when you add "getting ready for daycare" to the list of things you need to do in the morning before you can leave the house, you might suddenly find yourself scrambling around like a chicken with its head cut off. Things can get pretty crazy pretty fast if you don't have a plan. That's why I am so excited to present you with this post describing how to pack a perfectly organized daycare bag:

What to pack in your pumping bag: a free, printable checklist

Welcome to another post in my Perfectly Packed series! Be sure to check out my other posts in the series as well! Please note that posts in this series include affiliate links.  

A few days ago I shared a post about how to pack the perfect pumping bag. Check it out!

As promised, today I'm sharing a free printable checklist to help make sure you don't forget anything on your way out the door. Because I know that you mamas are super busy! 

A Perfectly Packed Pumping Bag

Like so many hard working mamas out there, I also have a full-time job outside of my home. And since I decided to breastfeed my baby even after going back to work, that means I'm also a proud, pumping mama. 

I'm a teacher, which mean that, like so many of you, I don't get long, luxurious breaks to pump. I've learned to be super organized to make the best use of the time that I have. Today I decided to share with you exactly how I pack my pumping bag with my breast pump and all my accessories. 

Posts in my Perfectly Packed series include affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

THE BAG

I have been looking for a cute pumping bag for a LONG time without success. There are a lot of cute ones out there- and they all cost so much money! The bags in my price range were incredibly ugly. So I started looking for a bag that wasn't actually a pumping bag, but that I could use as a pumping bag. It took me a long time, but I finally found it!

I found my bag at Kohl's. Alas- this particular bag is no longer available. 

When you're looking for a great pumping bag, flip it over and take a look at the bottom. You want an extra-wide base so your pump and an insulated cooler can both sit flat on the bottom.

SUPPLIES

Here's a picture of everything that I keep in my bag:

I've basically narrowed it down to 11 things that I need to bring with me each day. Here they are:

1. Breast pump: connected and ready to go- When I pack my bag, I attach everything I'll need, including all of the pump pieces and the bottles I'll pump into. This saves time when I get to work and helps me make sure that I'm not forgetting anything essential.

2. Extra bottles: I pump three times a day, and I bring three extra bottles with me each day. (A total of five, including the ones attached to the pump.) 

3. A water bottle: Stay hydrated, baby! 

4. Extra pump pieces: It's hard to see, but I keep an extra set of pump pieces in my bag at all times. Once I had one of the little pieces tear halfway though the day, and I couldn't finish pumping. Turns out that every piece- no matter how small- is actually really important, so now I keep extras on hand just in case!

5. Bottle lids: One for every bottle, plus an extra one just in case.

6. Cleaning wipes: More on how I use these below. 

7. Wet/dry bag: I don't wash my pump parts during the day. I just don't have time to/don't want to. What I do is wipe everything off with cleaning wipes, toss the parts in the wet part of the wet/dry bag, and throw it all in the refrigerator to keep everything nice and sanitary until I'm ready to use it again. I use the same parts all day, then I wash and sanitize them when I get home. I use the dry part of the wet/dry bag to store extra bottles and lids.

8. Hands-free pumping bra: This is a game. changer. Without one of these, you won't be able to do anything while you pump. This is the one I've used for 2 years now, and it's still going strong. Tip: If you're trying to decide between sizes, go with the smaller one because it's stretchy.

9. Snacks: I don't know about you, but I'm hungry all the time these days!

10. Insulated bag/cooler with ice packs: I have two: One for me at work, and the other to send the milk to daycare the next day. It's just the right size for 6 Ameda or Medela bottles.

11. Nursing cover: I don't usually use this, but it's handy if you're worried about pumping somewhere you might get walked in on- eek!

I'm lucky enough to get to pump at my desk where I can keep working on my computer while I pump, but you might want to include a book or your phone so you have something to do.

Update: 

After my second baby, I had to pump in a room that was super far away from a refrigerator. So I brought in this mini-fridge. And when I say mini, I do mean mini. This little guy is designed to hold 6 cans of Coke. Which means it also held about that many bottles of milk. ;) Perfect!

PACK IT UP:

1. Put extra pump pieces/lids in the zippered pocket.

2. Put pump, cooler and water bottle on the bottom of the bag.

3. Fill the handy-dandy pockets with snacks, wipes and hands-free pumping bra.

4. Add nursing cover and wet/dry bag.

DONE! But wait- what if you want an adorable printable checklist to glance at before you leave the house- just to make sure you've got everything?

PRINTABLE CHECKLIST

Be sure to download your handy-dandy checklist here.

So what do you think? Any other working/pumping mamas out there? Did I forget anything? What do you do to make pumping at work easier? Let me know in the comments. :)

Also, before you go, don't forget to check out my other posts in the Perfectly Packed series and read my list of essential breastfeeding supplies.

A Perfectly Packed Diaper Bag

Ahhh, the diaper bag. A mom's lifeline. But what do you really need to take with you when you leave the house, and how do you keep it all organized? Today I'm going to unzip every compartment of my diaper bag, dump everything out, and show you what all I keep in there.

This post is first in my Perfectly Packed series. Be sure to check out my other posts in the series as they are posted! Please note that posts in this series contain affiliate links. (Check out my disclosure policy here.) 

But first, allow me to introduce you to my diaper bag and the accessories I use to stay organized:

They are:

The Diaper Bag: My sister gave me this one at my baby shower, and I LOVE it!

Wet/dry Bag: I'm not going to lie- I have a whole stack of these at home. 

And of course, the adorable matching Bottle Bag.  

Without these 3 bags, I would be lost!

The Wet/dry Bag has a mesh section for dry items, and a waterproof inside section for wet items (aka dirty diapers.) Since I use cloth diapers, and want to take them home again instead of throwing them away, this bag is awesome. You could also use it for dirty clothes.

In the "dry" section, I usually keep a few diapers, some cloth wipes, and a small spray bottle of water. The "wet" section will hold the dirty diapers after I change my baby. It holds about 4-5 dirty diapers. 

If I'm only going out for a little bit, sometimes this is the only bag that I take with me- I can fit the essentials in here, and leave the big diaper bag at home.

Next up: the Insulated double bottle bag . Since I breastfeed, I usually don't take this one with me. But occasionally (like when I'm dropping Emma off to spend the afternoon with her grandparents) it does come in really handy.

It comes with an ice pack, and two tall bottles can easily fit inside. Sometimes I even add a sippy cup or some snacks on top.

I love having these two smaller bags, because, depending on where I'm going and how long I'll be out, I can choose whether or not to include them in my diaper bag. If I don't need them, I'm not toting around a bunch of extra weight. They also keep things really nice and organized inside my main diaper bag.

OK, so now let's take a look at what I pack in my main diaper bag:

When I tuck my bottle and diaper supplies away inside the smaller two bags I just showed you, it looks like this:

Let's take a closer look at some of the things I pack:

1. Bib
2. Bottle Bag
3. Bottle
4. Cloth diapers
5. Cloth wipes
6. Spray bottle with water (I use this to wet the cloth wipes)
7. Hand sanitizer
8. Wet/dry Bag
9. Disposable diaper (just in case)
10. Disposable wipes
11. Burp cloth
12. Aden + Anais swaddle blankets (I love that these roll up really small, and I can also use them as nursing covers.)
13. A change of clothes
14. Extra pair of socks
15. Cell phone
16. A snack for me
17. Water bottle
18. Wallet and keys
19. Sippy cup
20. Snack for baby
21. Book
22. Toy
23. Tylenol (plus unopened syringe)
24. Gas drops
25. Teething tablets (These have been recalled!)
26. Nail clippers
27. Vaseline
28. Thermometer
29. Pacifier
30. Diaper cream sample

Seem like a lot? If you haven't already, you should check out my free diaper bag checklist printable!

(Download and print a copy of the checklist here.)

Next, I add the wet/dry bag with my diaper supplies, along with any books/toys I want to have.

If I want to pack any bottles, there's still plenty of room for the bottle bag in this compartment as well:

Now for all of the "just in case" stuff- the medicines, thermometer, nail clippers, etc. These all go in a tiny little pocket right near the main, zippered compartment.

My phone, wallet and keys go in a larger pocket right below that one:

Next, I fill the cup holder pockets with a sippy cup and my own water bottle.

The front pocket on the right is for wipes and one or two disposable diapers- just in case. In the pocket on the left I keep things I might need easy access to- the bib, burp cloth, extra pacifier, and hand sanitizer. And a stuffed animal just because he's cute. ;)

So that's it! A perfectly packed diaper bag, complete with pictures and a printable checklist. Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my diaper bag.

Oh, and be sure to check out my post on a perfectly packed diaper bag- the toddler version. :) 

A perfectly packed diaper bag: the toddler version