Laundry Hacks to Simplify Life

I shared earlier that one of my Monthly Missions this month is figuring out a way to simplify my laundry situation. I have a laundry list of reasons why this area of my life needs to simplified. (See what I did there?)

So I’ve been doing some research to help me “sort out” my problems (I’m on a roll here!). I’ve found some very helpful posts that are giving me some inspiration as I attempt to figure out how to get rid of my laundry…err.. I mean…get rid of my laundry issues.  (Of course, if you have any tips on getting rid of laundry, I’ll take those too!)

Here is a list of awesome laundry hacks to check out: 

How Many Wears Before You Need to Wash  (Is anyone else shocked by the jeans??)

25 Laundry Hacks for Busy Moms (I LOVE the writing on the dryer idea!)

How to Keep Towels Fluffy (After reading this, I think I realized it’s time for some new towels!)

5 Tips to Keep up with Laundry (I’m incorporating some of these in my new system.)

15 Organizational Hacks that will Make You Like Doing Laundry (Yes, please.)

Solutions to your Most Vexing Laundry Problems (Really helpful tips!)

6 Laundry Tricks to Make the Task So Much Easier (LOVE that missing sock saver!)

20 Must Know Laundry Hacks (I need some serious fitted sheet folding help.)

Update: Be sure to check out my 3 Step Simple Laundry System!

How about you? Do you have any awesome laundry hacks that help save your sanity??

This post is part of The Merry Little Living Project where I’m sharing about ways that I’m finding to make everyday life simpler and more joyful. You can sign up here to receive my monthly-ish newsletter with updates. 

Simple LEGO Organization Project

I love LEGOs.

I hate unorganized LEGOs.

It’s a complicated relationship.

After Christmas this year, when I was in the midst of a de-cluttering frenzy, I decided that ALL the LEGOs had to go. OR I needed an entirely new system for them.

My love for LEGOs won out and I have to admit that I’m quite glad that it did.

My first step in my LEGO overhaul was a call for help to my good friend Heidi. Heidi understands my LEGO conundrum well. She is the Mom of a LEGO lover of epic proportions (as you can read in her post here), so she has organized her fair share of LEGOs in her day. She also has an eye for detail and design that I lack – she’s a handy friend to have around.

Plus she is really fun to go to IKEA with.

IKEA!!

A photo posted by Kaley Ehret (@kaleyehret) on Feb 21, 2015 at 9:00am PST

I already owned the IKEA Expedit shelves (now known as KALLAX), so it made sense to start there and create a center with what I already have. In the name of “research”, Heidi and I left our kiddos with our hubbies (except for Heidi’s 5 month old who is still too little to distract from the mission at hand – except by looking cute) and skipped off like giddy school girls to the lovely land of IKEA.

After drooling over perusing the IKEA showroom, we made our decisions. We ended up deciding against the KALLAX drawers and instead determined that using Sterilite containers would work best for sorting the LEGOs. Plus they fit very nicely in the cubbies. I also snagged two of these fun red Marius stools for just $5 each. I mean really how could I resist such a cute bargain?!

Heidi suggested that we use Washi tape to add a fun little touch to the drawers, rather than spend extra money on fancy storage (she’s smart like that).

Plus it’s a fun way to color code the drawers – see? (The rainbow drawer is intended for mini-figures and other miscellaneous pieces.)

I like to keep things real around here, so in full disclosure, after some wear and tear, the Washi tape that I purchased is not sticking well to the containers and I may need to re-do this with a thicker tape or simply label them. But I just didn’t want you to miss their cuteness.

I also wanted to hang something functional on the wall. In the end, we decided on a magnetic dry erase board. I can picture many, many silly pictures being drawn on this board over the years. And plenty of higher math too, of course.

Another idea inspired by Heidi  was to turn LEGO Duplo bricks into magnets. I just bought some adhesive round magnets and fastened them to the back of a few bricks. Super simple way to incorporate the LEGO theme!

I knew that I would need a place to store the manuals and this hanging file box from Target worked perfectly.

Aren’t organized manuals just so happy?

Here is the breakdown of my spending:

IKEA: (2) Red Marius stools = $9.98

Amazon: 10 x 10 Brick Building Plates – 4 pack ($24.95)

Target.com: (3) Sterilite 3-Drawer Containers (on sale for $8.09 + 5% Target REDCard discount = $23.06

Target.com: Hanging File Box – $13.99 + 5% Target REDCard discount = $13.29

Michaels:

-Washi Tape Dispenser – $7.99 + 20% discount coupon = $6.39
-Adhesive Magnets – $3.29 + 20% discount coupon = $2.63

Walmart: Magnetic Dry Erase Board – $19.96

Total: $100.26

Here’s the thing.

It’s taken me almost 10 years of motherhood to realize how few toys our kids need. The key is figuring out how to make space for them to play with the toys they do enjoy. In reality, I could have just bought some dollar store containers for the LEGOs and called it a day. But I was willing to spend a little more money if it meant making a functional space for them to enjoy the LEGOs for years to come. And based on the hours of play I heard behind their doors after completing this project, I am confident this is money well spent.

In the end, I’m ready to make my relationship with LEGOs official. I have nothing but love in my heart for them now. They are brilliant, genius, adorable little things – and I’m keeping them around for a long time.

Oh – and I’ll keep the LEGOs too. 🙂

How about you? What are your best tips for Simple LEGO Organization?

You might also like:

How is that February is the shortest month but feels the longest? Spring is so close I can taste it, but the snow and the temperatures just keep falling here in the frigid Northeast.

This quote I read the other day offered me some much needed hope:

“No winter lasts forever, No spring skips its turn.” – Hal Borland

It’s coming, friends. I promise.

In the meantime, I am choosing to create simple, joyful life. This past month, I asked myself four questions:

• What is one way I can simplify life this month?
• What is one way I can practice a healthy habit this month?
• What is one way I can organize life this month?
• What is one way I can bring joy to life this month?

Here’s what I came up with:

How I simplified life: 

I’m actually very excited about my new trick with my KitchenAid mixer. It has completely simplified meals and that is my very favorite thing to simplify.

How I practiced a healthy habit:  

Remember when I said we keep things simple around here? Well, here’s the proof. My healthy habit this month was to make my bed every day. As far as I remember, I was successful every day except one – in which I was very tempted to make my bed right before getting into it that night. But I refrained.

It’s a habit that only takes a minute, but really can change the whole feel of a room. You Every Day Bed Makers really know what you are doing, don’t you?

How I organized life: 

I’m actually very excited about my organization project this past month – but it still needs a couple finishing touches before I share. The picture above is a sneak peek. Look for a post soon!

If you’d like some organizational inspiration, though, you should definitely check out this post that my Mom wrote:

How I brought joy to life: 

Is it wrong that the thing that brought me a good deal of joy this past month required a friend to be very sick? In January I had made up a big batch of Chicken Noodle Soup and put half in the freezer. I wanted to have some on hand to share with anyone that might need a little pick me up. But then I waited and waited and waited – and no one got sick! What’s up with that? (Twisted, right?)

But then – a friend came down quite sick last week. So I thawed the soup, made up a little basket of get well goodies and dropped them off on her doorstep. I hope it brought her as much joy as it brought me!

So now I want to know:

What are YOUR Monthly Missions for March?

I’ve been really happy with this new strategy for planning simplicity and joy into my life and I’d love for you to join me.

If you sign up for the Merry Little Living Project email newsletter, you’ll receive a free printable Monthly Missions planner in your inbox right away. (My friend Kate from Uncommon Kate designed it and did a fantastic job!) If you’re already signed up for the newsletter, look for an update to show up in your inbox very soon!

Then sometime in the next few days, grab your printable,  a cup of coffee and a pencil and map out your missions for the month.

And then – if you’d like a little bit of accountability – share your missions in the comment below. Let’s help each other celebrate Simple, Joyful Life!

I’ll be sharing what my missions are this month in my Merry Little Living Project newsletter so be sure to click here to sign up if you haven’t yet!