The simple things...

Here are some of the simple things that I would not want to live without now that I've had them...

1. A Dimmer Switch in the Bathroom
One day I decided that I had to have a dimmer switch in the bathroom and I'll never go back to a regular switch again... You can dim it in the morning when you're still half asleep and not yet ready to start the day or even for those middle of the night bathroom breaks. A special, 'once in a blue moon' treat for me is a deep bath, a book and my dimmer switch turned low for a 'candle-light' effect.

If you're going to upgrade to a dimmer switch, be sure to turn off the power to that room or to the whole house before you begin! Pay attention as you detach the old switch and connect the wires in the same way when you install the new one.

2. A Bedside Lamp
As a child I used to scratch the paint off of my nightlight bulb to make it brighter so I could read by it. (You know the bulbs that were painted blue to make them less bright?). Well, fast forward past all the years without a nightlight and here I am with a bedside lamp. It's not too bright and I can read by it whenever I like and then turn it off without even getting out of bed! I'm sure you're all aware of this, but for those of you still living in the dark about bedside lamps, you'll have to get one!

My lamp is similar to this one (although mine is a frog holding an umbrella). I bought it secondhand just days after my son was born. It's unique and makes me laugh... I love the way the frog lights up.

3. A Duvet
Even saying doooo vay sounds romantic. My parents just got us one for Christmas and I can't believe we've been 'making do' with blankets all this time! Sleeping with a duvet is like sleeping wrapped up in a cloud. It's so cozy and warm and the duvet is light enough that you can roll over without feeling constricted.

4. A Basket at the Stairs
We do most of our living upstairs and have a long flight of stairs down to our front door. A basket at the top of the stairs means less running up and down. If something needs to go downstairs, but I'm not going down just yet I put it in the basket and take it with me on the next trip down. Of course not having a basket at the top of the stairs probably means you'd get more exercise, but this post is about simplifying, not exercising!

5. Bags, Bags and More Bags
I have a number of bags for a variety of purposes. A backpack full of our swimsuits and towels that's always ready to go for a family swim day; a Bob the Tomato bag that hangs off of the stair railing for books and dvds from the library that are due back; a Nemo bag full of ballet gear; etc... Having bags for a variety of purposes means everything is organized and easy to grab when it's needed.

~❀~ Chelsey ~❀~

Must Haves for Back to School

My daughter starts grade 1 on Tuesday. She'll be in school full time (as opposed to afternoon kindergarten). I'm nervous about us having to wake up early and concerned that I'll miss her when she's gone all day... She's convinced she won't have time to do anything fun anymore, but I know she'll love school all over again once she's back.


Here are my top five must haves for back to school (in no particular order)

1. Sigg bottles

Not just any ole aluminum bottle, but a thick Swiss-made original. Sigg bottles come in super cute designs and are easy to distinguish from all the plastic water bottles out there. Sigg bottles are leak proof and work well for car trips and night time too. Make sure that your Sigg bottle has a new "yellow" liner as opposed to the gold coloured liner made prior to 2008.

This bottle is one of my favourites from their current collection. You can check out many others at Sigg!


2. A radio alarm clock for the kitchen

Yes, the kitchen. I set my kitchen radio alarm clock so that it lets me know when we need to head down stairs. It gives us just enough time to put on coats and shoes and walk to school. This ensures we arrive on time -- unless there's an unforseen mishap of course -- like a missing shoe or kiddos who just won't walk at their usual pace.


3. Cute stationary for writing notes to the scholar or to the teacher.

I have some cute note pads that I use to write love notes to my daughter. I don't know when that stops being cool, but she's 5 and thinks it's great to get a message from mom -- especially since she can read them too. For older kiddos sending a joke will keep them laughing (and thinking of you) throughout the day.

I also use my fancy notepads to send messages to the teacher -- not love notes or jokes, but messages none the less.

4. Labels -- the dishwasher safe kind

I ordered great labels off an e-bay seller a couple years ago (who I searched for, but they're no longer in business it seems). The ones I have are small with cute Disney characters on them (Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story, Mickey Mouse...) I stick them to the Sigg bottles and the little glass containers I use for my daughter's lunch. They also work for toys that get taken out of the house for show and tell or car trips. I bought some with our last name and stuck them to our cell phone, cameras etc... too!

5. Cloth snack bags that can be reused

Check out Etsy and search for "snack bags" or "sandwich bags" for some great patterns and characters that will make lunch extra fun!

My daughter has Strawberry Shortcake and Winnie the Pooh cloth bags for her lunches. In a pinch I've even sent my son's Superman and Cars snack bags along with her too! She hasn't minded (yet!). These bags help make her lunches as litterless as possible.


Comment here with your top five must haves for back to school!