Organization and other stuff!

Hi,

We are here in NY :) It was a long long flight. 1 hour from home to the airport at 3:30 am then 45 minutes flight from Alexandria to Cairo followed by a 4 hour waiting for the next flight from Cairo to JFK to spend 11. 5 hours on a tight plane. The very smart man who was booking our seats gave us seats in the middle of the plane ignoring the fact that I have an infant and a wild toddler :) Add to that the facts that we were sleep deprived and I am no fun when I am travelling so you can guess.

Anyway, I have been shopping like crazy since I arrived. Can you tell that I missed the dollar store?! Also, I have been organizing, organizing, organizing. I love what I came up with and remember, it is all in one tiny room that is used as bedroom and play room all in the same time. I'll give a detailed description of the supplies with each picture.

Pom poms, wiggly eyes, snowflakes, colored gems,

sparkly random tings and hand sanitizers.

Stones, shells, miniature items, beads and water beads.

Marbles, beads and sequins.

Kitchen with plates, cups, pans, forks, knives,

spoons, teapots, food and shopping cart

Sidewalk chalk, glitter, scissors, glue, glue stick, double face,

fasteners, crayons, water paints, brushes, washable paints,

do a dots, pencils and some other colors

The other side: stickers, cookie cutters,

kitchen supplies like tonsils, spoons, pegs, stampers and stamp pads,

magnetic letters, magnifying glass and test tubes.

Too lazy to capture a better shot,lol.

These boxes contain Farida's small toys, plastic Easter eggs,

accessories,  head bands and Sarah's microscope.

Books (Arabic & English), board games, puzzles and flash cards.

Board games, flash cards, puzzles and musical instruments

 (we'll be adding to them bit by bit).

Painting Easel. On its back are the construction paper and foam sheets.

Large beads and bowling set.

All kinds of animals, bugs and fruits.

Foam puzzles, colored tissue papers and poster board.

Paper and foam letters, bottle covers, finger paints,

 hearts, flowers and candles.

Under the seat: play dough, laptop

and a box full of characters and dolls.

The following are for me: bottles, beads, transparent gel,

food color, Ziploc bags, plant pots, beads and colored rice and pasta.

Egg cartoons, cotton and rolls.

Remember, the rule is to put everything within the girls' reach (at least when they stand on a chair, lol). Also the golden rule is not to take anything else before returning the first to its original place. So far, it is working.

One more thing: I have always wanted to have a light table for Sarah. BUT it is way too expensive so I made my version. It cost me $13.99 plus batteries and taxes, lol. It is far from perfect but it will do. Remember, it is a trial and error process.

Light buttons from the dollar store. The box from stop & shop ($7.99).

Double tape on the light buttons' back.

Not enough light!

A little bit better. I wish they were circular and with white edges but it's OK.

I might cover the edges with something white.

Forgot to tell you, Sarah passed her school interview. As I expected, she refused to answer anyone but me ;)

Thank you for making it that far. See you tomorrow, God willing.

Love,