that’s me.  every time.  but i know that it’s worth it and that the kids need parents that takes care of themselves and to know that they will survive, even if it means wearing a dirty uniform or eating cereal for dinner two nights in a row or  (fill in the blank)…..  so i go.  (peace out love bugs.)

in fact, last week i left my brood for an ah-mazing women’s retreat with our church and to help calm my nerves about leaving, spent 30 minutes (or so) putting together these little notes for each day i would be gone.  i included details for their day (whats for dinner, chores, etc.), and was also able to include their allowance and notes so they could find a pre-game treat i hid for each of them.

the laundry was also caught up before i left which is sort of a miraculous coincidence, and the monthly spread was a huge help because i knew the fridge and pantry was full of food… i don’t remember the last time i felt good about leaving, if ever!  and the kids raved about the bags for each day so i’ll definitely be using them again and want to share them with you.  keep reading for the download and how-to….

to make the days of the week bags and note cards, download the template (HERE).  print the note cards (on page one) on card stock and cut along dashed lines.  print the rest of the pages (according to the days you will be gone) on text weight paper and cut along the dashed lines.

once the bags are cut out, fold the sides in a little past center and seal using a glue stick.  then fold the bottom up and glue in place….  adding a little between the layer of paper.

then fill out the notes and stuff the bags and you are ready to hit the road!

have any trips coming up where these bags might come in handy!?  or any tips or thoughts on leaving the kids behind?  we’d love to read in the comments!

oh and if you’re printer is out of ink, you may want to add it to your shopping list because i seem to be on some sort of paper kick and have another paper project planned for wednesday!

hope you had a fun weekend!

xo . rae

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ahhhh, doesn’t that feel better?

my husband johan, is not a purger.  our second year of marriage i decided to giveaway a pair of his shoes….  let’s just say he didn’t appreciate my awesome closet editing skills.  so i’ve learned to ask and to be ok when the answer is no and to never send him with the box of stuff for good will.

the kids’ clothing and accessories are usually handed down to family and friends and it’s always a blessing to be on the receiving end of the hand-me-down cycle.  makes life so much easier.

my stuff typically goes to good will, but a couple weeks ago i brought my pile to a group of ladies going through a year long rehabilitation program.  knowing who my gently used (and still cute) clothes were going to, made the cleaning process that much sweeter.

how about you….  what is your closet cleaning style and who do you give your hand-me-downs to?

xo . rae

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our oldest (ozzie) had a baseball tournament (of all things, i know….  but it was really fun) so we split our time between family and the fields.  however, sometime around 2 yesterday, it was clear that the littles had hit their, busy weekend without a nap, limit – so i took them home for some R&R….  and a little paper craft.

do you remember making things from candy wrappers as a kid?  maybe something similar to the bracelet above using starburst wrappers?  so fun, right?  well, i was hoping to get the same sort of look without actually unwrapping packages of candy, so i put together this template (you can download here).

matilda (4) was able to do most of the folding and then hand the pieces over to me to put together.  it’s always nice to have a project handy that doesn’t require a mess or tons of supplies!

to make your own, you’ll need this template or candy wrappers (if you really want to go old school), a printer, text weight printer paper, and scissors.

1. print a couple pages of the template and cut the rectangles out.

2. pick a rectangle and fold it in half to make a crease, and unfold.  then fold each side into the middle.

3.  (excuse the change in paper….  just pretend it’s still the teal dots) fold each side in again, and fold one more time in half.

4. fold in half, lengthwise.  then just for the starting piece, fold the ends inside to the center.

5. next, fold a second piece of paper, but skip the second part of step 4.  instead, slide the ends through the folds in the previous paper and then fold the ends up to make a place for the next piece.

continue until your chain is long enough to make a bracelet…  we used almost two pages of the template.

what do you think!?  might be a good craft to bring on a long car or plane ride….  we’ll have to print some out for out trip to cali in a few weeks!

can you think of any other simple crafts you did as a kid?  we’d love to hear in the comments below!

hope your week is off to a fabulous start!

xo . rae

p.s. – thank you to everyone for your sweet, lovely and heart felt replies to my last post.  i was so blown away by your words and encouragement.  xoxoxoxo

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