So you all know that I've been #springcleaning my entire life this season, so of course that meant my upstairs bathroom too! And honestly you guys, decluttering my bathroom has been so relaxing but also very relieving. It's always the littlest things that make me happy! I've been wanting to take this project on for a few months now and finally I did it. There is something about this fresh spring air that just gets me on major decluttering mode. Si o No?

I'm really excited to share this post because I know you guys will get motivated to organize your house too! I love getting messages from you guys telling me my tips and ideas help you and I hope this post will do just that. Not only am I going to motivate you to declutter your bathroom and organize your beauty products but I'm also sharing tips on how you can use one product in multiple ways. We can all use the motivation to get organized and declutter our lives away this spring... new season, new you boo!

What I love most about products that have multiple purposes is that it helps me save space in my medicine cabinet and/or drawers in my bathroom. This season has been the season to declutter and reorganize so I figured I would share these tips on how you can use products in more ways than one as well as a couple of helpful ideas on how to declutter your bathroom and keep everything nicely organized.

Makeup palettes are life! One palette for your entire face? Yes please! This is a great way to save space even in your makeup bag. I love a good palette because it literally can make up my entire face. You can use the blush as eyeshadow and on the lips if you mix it with balm and hey a gold eyeshadow can even give you that glow that we all love!

Always be sure to check for expiration dates while decluttering your makeup drawers. Expired makeup can cause irritation or allergies on your skin. Read below on how to determine if your makeup has expired. A good rule of thumb is that products without expiration dates (like cosmetics) are good for 3 years from the time  it was manufactured, as long as they are stored at room temperature.

But nothing compares to the classic yellow Johnson's Baby Shampoo. I've used it on my kids of course... but I've also used in a series of different ways. I've used it to bathe Lola (my shih-tzu!), I've used it to clean my makeup brushes and beauty blender. I've even used the Baby Wash as a facial cleanser in the shower. It's so gentle and if it's made for my babies it's pretty much made for anything or anyone else. Fun fact: I've even used the shampoo for an impromptu onesie rinse or two whenever we've traveled with the kids. I always carry a travel size bottle with me till this day in Emme's bag! You just never know... #momlife.

You guys, I've been teasing little sneak peeks of my laundry room closet on IG and how I took it from a hot mess to a neat Pinterest-worthy laundry room closet. I mean sharing the before photos is pretty painful, honestly. But someone's gotta do the dirty work! It's a little embarrassing but all in the name of shock and awe lol! I present to you the before and after:
Don't judge me! This room was the lowest priority but always in the back of my mind. So when The Container Store asked me to work with them this season, I immediately said YES! Perfect timing, spring cleaning is my favorite type of cleaning;) You guys know I've been organizing my entire life the past two months, so this collab seemed pretty fitting. The Container Store (TCS) has everything you need to get your spring cleaning going this season... and stay organized for the rest of the year. 

 
 I ordered these labels from my friend who makes great labels for any occasion over at Adavan Designs. She can customize anything and everything.  So when I was putting together the last little details, I had her  make these custom labels for me to use right on the TCS tags. And I love how they came out. If you are looking for anything custom or personalized , check her out HERE.

First things first, I was super excited when a TCS Expert was on board to help me decide what I would need because truthfully I didn't know where to begin. I sent her those embarrassing before pics with the ooonly apology email [insert monkey covering eyes emoji here] for such a hot mess of a closet. She was super sweet and helpful, we jumped on a call and I explained my vision, she looked at our disastrous room and she was then able to recommend certain items that would bet fit our needs. Having a TCS expert was such a weight off my shoulders, she emailed me a list of what she thought was ideal and everything she told me to get I ordered! 

So here's the thing, we keep all our towels, kids' crafts and all kitchen/dining textiles in the laundry room closet (our laundry room is on the first floor so is great!) and I knew I wanted to be sure to make everything not just neat but also easy to reach and see. I had so much crap that we weren't using
which I packed into 2 bags full of linens to get rid of. And that's when the fun began! I love organizing and the TCS baskets fit perfectly on my shelves. I made sure to measure everything before ordering so that it fir property and efficiently. If you are going to organize your laundry room (or any other room in the house) make sure you measure everything.

 
 
Here are some tips on how to organize a closet, which worked for me in our laundry room... 

LABEL EVERYTHING! 

One great way to keep everything organized is to label all your baskets! I ordered 2 types of tags from TCS according to the size of the basket. This helps with not just being organized when putting your linens away or looking for something but also it makes for such a nice look in there room. I love how the labels look all together. 

ROLL TOWELS

Instead of folding the towels and stacking them horizontally, I decided to roll them (see pics) this is way easier to grab and go and I am all about making life easier every second of the day. You moms feel me right? The bonus? It looks so much better and chic! 

USE SHOE BOXES FOR CRAFTS

I got clear shoe boxes for the kids' craft items; from their paint to crayons and markers, to glue and small crafts, these boxes are perfect because they not only cost very little but also they are the perfect size for their small toys and crafting items. I love that they are clear so it's easy to see what's in it too. It's truly making this mom's life so much easier these days... yup, #firstworldproblems. 

AREA RUGS ARE LIFE

Lastly, I covered the old floor with a gorgeous area rug... this was a great alternative to replacing the floors which can cost a lot of money. Originally the idea was to give this room a complete makeover but we soon realized it was going to cost us more than we wanted to spend right now. So that will be a project for another time. Regardless, our laundry room looks like a completely different room right now. I love how the rug gives even the laundry room a cozy yet stylish vibe.

Dave and I truly had so much fun working on this project and we hope it helps you with ideas on how to organize your life this #SpringCleaning season. Thank you to The Container Store for helping us check this baby off our long and ongoing "projects list"! The relief is real you guys...

Ever have one of “those” days or even “those” weeks? It’s exactly where I’ve been in regards to this blog and my entire presence as a social media influencer. So many of you have messaged me saying it’s all to do with Mercury retrograde and I believe it but shit Mercury needs to get it together because I can’t take it any longer. But that’s a post for another day… 

Because there is always one thing that stays constant and that is my family. Even though the plans for the last 2 weekends got turned upside down we still always make things happen and always make sweet memories and have a great time with our kids. But truthfully no matter how much I pray for patience and how much I enjoy the mayhem some days, there are other days my patience runs short and in turn I end of with a bag of guilt. 

I think (at least I hope!) I am not the only one that goes through this. As a mom, wife, blogger, part-time marketing assistant, daughter, niece, granddaughter, and overall hustler, life gets crazy, busy and patience runs short. Last night while trying to do a hundred things at once while putting the kids to bed I got really mad because they wouldn’t listen to me and wouldn’t settle down for bed, so I yelled like a crazy person and they calmed down but Emme started crying. Now it’s clearly not the first time I yell and it won’t be the last. The difference is the reaction Emme had and hoe it put it all in perspective for me for that short moment in time. 

She said to me while crying: “just be happy, mama be happy” and boy did that break my heart. Because I realized that this is exactly what all our children want and that is for their parents to simply BE HAPPY. 

We, the adults, are the complicated ones. I am perfectionist and a planner… two very bad traits to have because I over complicate things and all my kids want is simple joys with their parents and by that they find happiness. Yes they weren’t listening and I didn’t know at the time how to get them to settle down. I was tired, exhausted, Mercury (rolls eyes) and I had done a thousand things yesterday. I know all the reasons why my patience was short but I still felt like shit. 

I felt heartbroken and I like a bad mother, of course I did. I hugged her and I cried and I said to her, “yes Emme you make me happy and mama is happy now”. And I apologized for yelling and hugged her and she was calm. I still felt bad and I had that mom guilt that settles right in. It was her innocence and sentiment and those 3 words truly touched the deepest part of my heart. So I prayed. And I am still praying. Being a mom (or parent) is not easy. Most days I enjoy every moment spent with my children, I pray for their health and I enjoy planning things with them. But there are other days when I fail. If Emme only knew the lesson she taught me last night… I hope I can be everything she (and Ben) want me to be and, in that raise HAPPY-kind-loving children. 

If you are having a tough mom day, breath and pray. I am with you… I know it’s hard some days but they are little for a short time. Let’s enjoy these moments even when we feel like we’ve failed. From one mama to another, stay strong.