The Sullengers

Family Command Center

Last year when Cannon and Cruiz entered preschool I felt so scattered with three kids in school! I dropped the ball a couple of times and knew I needed to come up with a way to stay organized during the school year. Though there are a million AMAZING pictures and ideas on Pinterest, I want something practical, affordable, doable! And I have limited space. So this week we’re focusing on making a space to help your family stay organized during the school year.

I’ve always dreamed of having an organized, dedicated space to put backpacks, random papers and also a place to organize my kids schedules on a week to week, month to month basis. My friend Marisa is a super organized mom and gave me the final inspiration push I needed to create my own.

I love her room and the simplicity of it. She also is the person behind the adorable free printable found later in this post. Don’t you just love when you have uplifting, motivating friends?
Her baskets on the wall can be found here.

Other Basket Inspo options:

ROSE GOLD STORAGE

BLACK METAL BASKETS

This is the option my sister in law used in her house with 5 kids: STORAGE FOR LARGER FAMILY

And currently I use this one at my house: IKEA STORAGE

So as I begin planning a space to hang everyone’s back packs I’ve been searching for ideas and thought I would share what I have found. We can take on this project together. My SIL’s center looks like this. She plans on changing out the hooks for these DREAM HOOKS

FREE PRINTABLE BOY VERSION GIRL VERSION

She was able to hang up the free printable above the backpacks and with limited space, made the best of it. She found her frames at Michaels.

If you don’t have a lot of space, don’t fret! I don’t either. So here are some ideas to help you make the most of your space. Images found on Pinterest. If you have something like this - tag us on instagram so we can share your room with others! @give.presentlee or #presentlee

1. 2. 3. 4.

Happy Organizing!

We Can Do Hard Things– (Angie Guymon)

Meet Angie. She’s married to her husband Neal and a mom to three kids - Her angel son Jayden, her angel daughter Maci, and her son Grayson, who was adopted from the most amazing and selfless birth mother.

Angie has experienced a great deal of heartache over the past decade. After two years of infertility, Angie was diagnosed with PCOS. She was finally able to get pregnant on clomid, but lost her son Jayden shortly after delivering him at 22 weeks. They continued to struggle with infertility and miscarriages and later decided to adopt their son Grayson. She then proceeded to use IVF to conceive, and miscarried the first round, and got pregnant with twins on her second round, but sadly lost them both due to a miscarriage. On her fourth transfer she got pregnant, but lost her sweet Maci shortly after delivering her at 21 weeks.

Artist: Lisa Bartholomew.

Q: How can others help someone going through infertility and loss?

“I think just being more aware of those around you who may be struggling with infertility and trying to not constantly talking about your pregnancies and children. I don't mind hearing about it here and there but hour long conversations about it when I would literally have nothing to say or add to the conversation was very depressing. I also recommend telling your close friends and family who are struggling with getting pregnant in private before announcing it to everyone else so they aren't caught off guard. It has been very helpful and I've appreciated when others have done that with me.”

Q. What were the most helpful acts of service you have received?

“We were able to save money by having other women donate their unused medicine for our second retrieval which saved us $3,000. If you are doing IVF ask your clinic if they know of anyone who might want to sell their medicine at a discount or donate it.

I have been blessed with many gifts from friends over the years but I’m so thankful when others have thought of my husband Neal. He received a keychain with Jayden and Maci’s names on it and he treasures it. He grieves in a different way than me, but he still deserves to be thought of.

Simple texts, cards, and messages are always uplifting.

My friend sent me a bracelet set - one for me with a heart on it and one to bury with Maci with a key on it to remember her.

My favorite act of service was when my friends hosted a “friendship shower” after losing my son. I was able to share my thoughts and story with them and they showered me with thoughtful gifts. It was the best gift I ever got - being able to just talk about my son and my experience and be able to celebrate his short life.”

Q. Good intentions don’t always come across as helpful. Has anyone’s actions ever hurt you?

”After our son passed away, we wanted the graveside to only be our closest immediate family members and we told our families our wishes. We didn’t know they had been inviting extended family and friends. After having to tell them we just wanted it to be immediate family, some were hurt. We were trying to deal with our own grief and it was hard to then deal with hurt feelings of others. We ended up having a luncheon after to appease everyone, but it’s not necessarily what we wanted. I know it was all out of love for us and we appreciated it so much, but we needed to grieve the way we knew how and well meaning intentions aren’t always what is most helpful.”

Q. I know people mean well, but they don’t always say the most helpful things. Is there anything people said to you that hurt?

A lot of times with infertility, people think they have answers for you based on what worked for them. I remember people telling me if I ate more red meat I wouldn’t miscarry. I would refrain from offering advice unless you phrase it like “I know this may not help, but have you thought of this….”

When talking to others about my story, a lot of times they try to tell me a story of someone they’ve heard of to try and relate to my story. Sometimes I just want someone to listen. You don’t have to relate to be a good friend.

Website: Angie has kept a detailed blog about her journey with infertility and loss. To learn more or to connect with Angie, visit her blog here.

Gift Ideas:

Friendship Shower
Keychain for spouse (here or here)
Watercolor Portrait
Bracelet Set (here and here)

Ways to Save Money While School Shopping

Back to school is always a crazy time to go shopping for supplies. I’m always surprised how quickly the items add up and having to fight the crowds can be stressful with a bunch of kids in tow. But at the end of the day I am more than happy to buy the supplies and even donate a few extra things to thank my kids teachers for doing what they do because teaching is HARD WORK!!!! Bless you teachers.

I’ve found over the years a few useful apps that help me save money and I thought I’d share. Let’s be honest, I don’t have time to coupon with all my littles around, but I love the idea of saving money! Next year we’ll have three kids in school so saving money is a big deal.

1. Walmart Savings Catcher

Not only is it amazing to order groceries online and pick them up in your car, (I’m usually still in pj’s) but don’t forget you can order your school supplies too. Once the receipt is emailed after picking up groceries or supplies, I copy the TC# at the bottom of the receipt and paste it into the savings catcher app and then sit back and wait to see if anything is price matched lower. You can also scan in your regular receipts if you choose to go into the store to buy supplies. It’s not going to make me rich, but it’s easy to use and a few bucks every week buys me my chocolate fix so… it’s a win in my book.

2. Flipp

I just discovered this app from Fun Cheap or Free on Instagram and so far it seems great! You start by entering in your zip code and picking the stores you shop at most frequently. You then can enter in your list and it tells you where the best deals are on those items. If you have the time to head to a few different places, this can save you the most money! Plus being able to enter in your list in one place and have it handy for any last minute trips to the store is always a good thing.

3. Ebates

Sometimes getting to the store with little kids seems impossible. I love that I can shop from home and simplify my life. I use Ebates on a regular basis to get cash back while shopping online.

Need new clothes for school? Look up where you shop and see what cash back they offer. I shop frequently at Old Navy and there is always cash back there.

Need a backpack? Go to Ebates first and type in the store and it will tell you if there is a cash back amount. (Hint: Right now Lands End has 40% off their backpacks and 2% cash back)

Need supplies from Walmart online, Target or Amazon? There is usually cash back options there too.

Then every quarter they send you what they call a BIG, FAT check. You can also pick gift cards to receive instead. It’s an easy way to receive money back on purchases you would make anyway. A lot of times they show you what sales are going on as well which is a bonus! (I always make a lot while Christmas shopping)

I have a few other apps I use to save money (looking at you Target), what apps do you use?

How to Create a Homework Station

It’s August, which means back to school! Ledger might only be going into second grade, but I vowed to make some changes after last year. He’s a kid who thrives off of repetition and schedules, so I’m doing my best to create that for both of us.

One thing that we struggled with last year was homework. Dad after day I heard, “Mom! I can’t find a pencil, a sharpener, an eraser!” Can you relate? Ugh. It created tension we didn’t need. So this year I am being proactive and putting together a homework station that can be ready for him right when he walks in from school. I’m going to set consistent times to finish homework so he gets used to a schedule.

To make things easier, I wanted all of our supplies stored in one place. It needs to be able to be stored up high in a closet where my littles can’t go through it. Here’s what I put together, it might not be anything fancy, but it’s super helpful and practical!

HOMEWORK STATION

Items included:

crayons
markers
colored pencils
pencils
pencil sharpener
highlighters
pencil erasers
scissors
stapler
tape
glue sticks
post it notes
notebooks
computer paper
and maybe a little chocolate for mom… am I right?

I encourage you to look around your home and get organized! A little preparation goes a long ways and will help us be more present with our children. I’m excited to have all of our supplies gathered together and I know it will simplify homework in so many ways. If you don’t want to brave the store, I’ve linked all my favorites above! Seriously, school shopping from home in your pj’s is the way to go.

Are there any items I forgot? I’d love to know what you will include in your homework station!

Stay tuned for our next post on tips how to save money on back to school shopping :)

We Can Do Hard Things–Suicide (Stacie Rupp)

Meet Stacie.

Stacie’s younger sister Heather died by suicide in September 2017. Heather was just 31 years old. Stacie and her family are in the beginning stages of working through their grief. She hopes to help people feel more comfortable talking about mental illness and suicide. She also wants Heather to be remembered for her bright personality and giving heart.

Stacie’s sister, Heather

Q: Often times people are nervous to speak to people who have lost a loved one to suicide. Is there anything that has been said that you’ve found helpful?

A: “Many people have shared happy/funny memories and experiences they had with my sister. Seeing photos and hearing wonderful moments from her life are super comforting. Remembering the good things about her life keeps my focus in the right place.”

“A friend of mine struggles with depression. She tried to describe to me how it feels when she has really dark moments. This was helpful to me. It allowed me to put myself in my sisters shoes for a bit and start to empathize with the way she must have been feeling.”

Left to right: Stacie (contributor to this post), Heidi (youngest sister), Heather (the sister who passed away), Lars (baby brother).

Q: Were there any acts of service performed that made an impact on you and your family?

A: “Multiple friends dropped off small care packages for my family, the week of the funeral. They brought things like prepackaged snacks, coloring books for my kids with stickers, and other kid activities. This was so great for the many hours in the car with kids. The day of the funeral was really busy and having the snacks in the car was essential! The last thing I needed was cranky kids.”

“My mom’s friend brought her a large metal carry tote, full of paper products. She loved this gift! It sat on her kitchen counter for over a month and helped her avoid doing dishes. Eating is exhausting enough. Doing dishes is unnecessary when you’re grieving.”

“Nobody did this, but a gift card for gas would be another great gift idea. I did a lot of driving that first week, back and forth between my parents house and my home. (About a 40 minute drive) Luckily my finances weren’t tight, but that could be a real strain for some people. Gas money is thoughtful.”

Stacie’s favorite picture of Heather from high school.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

“Don’t assume that all grief is the same, whenever a loved one dies. Suicide feels so different. There is a lot of confusion. Unanswered questions. Regret and guilt. Don’t let the way that a person died be the way you remember their life.

Try to focus on all the great things they did and who they were during happier times. This is much more useful and healing. Anytime you have a happy thought about the person who has died, please share it with their family!!! They so want to hear those good things.”