I have fallen into a dinner rut. I make the same things over and over and over again, and while it’s easy to plan my shopping list it is getting quite boring. That’s why I was so excited to find Meals Matter - a great website whose tagline is “healthy meal planning made simple”. Healthy? Simple? I’m in!

As part of my effort to get organized I have been going through my kids’ toys to clear out the ones they don’t use anymore. It’s a tough job for me because I’m so sentimental about all their stuff but it makes it even tougher when they are around to tell how much they “loooove that toy” or “am so happy” that I found a certain other toy. To help them separate from things they really don’t use anymore (and to hopefully prevent them from growing up to be a packrat like me) I’m appealing to their empathetic sides. Well, trying to at least - a one year old and four year old honestly don’t have much of an empathetic side, but I’m giving it a try.

“Hi, I’m Cristina, and I’m a sentimental clutter freak.”

We’ve been in our new house for just over six months and neither of my boys’ rooms is done. Both rooms got a fresh coat of paint (dark blue for our older son, brown with a green stripe for our younger son) but beyond that there seems to be lacking that certain something that makes them feel warm and cozy.

The past few weeks have been full of sickness and general crankiness at our house. I’ve been snapping at the kids more than I care to admit. My three year old is a champion whiner. My eighteen month old is getting great at throwing tantrums. Each day has been ending with me so grateful that it is bedtime.