I'm Back and Ready to Go!

I hit the proverbial wall that I feared was out there looming.  I haven't written in over a week.  I think my problem was when I was getting ready for a weekend camping trip with the cub scouts, I piled to much other items on my to do list.  When they didn't get done, I felt defeated.  So the camping trip was a lot of fun and my son had a blast.  But when I got back, I was exhausted which flowed into the new week.  Yesterday was Wednesday and I felt very weak and down.  I think because my house was a disaster, and I felt that it would take to much work to get it back in hand.

Today, however, was a new day.  I told myself to do what I could and next week was a new beginning!  So I have tried to put a dent in cleaning the house.  No it doesn't look perfect, but when does it ever look "perfect"?  Well never, five people live in this house:)  There are always things that need cleaned and there always will be.  I need to learn to be less critical of myself.  I am a good mom, a good wife, and a good friend.  Being a good cleaner or a good cook will never rank as high in my book:)

So next week may be a little rocky as well.  My kids have a five day weekend!  Friday through Tuesday off from school.  And my husband decided to take Tuesday off as well.  I am hoping to post my weekly plan on Sunday like usual, but who knows.

Monday Again???

Wow, another Monday is rearing it's ugly head and I actually feel ready to face a new week.  I missed posting my plan for the week because I got caught up in hanging with the family on Sunday:)  Saturday was a bummer for me though.  I had planned on a fun night out with the girls only to have it ruined by the threat of snow/freezing rain.  But I guess I would rather be safe than sorry.  Evenings this week are busy for me.  I have two scout meetings and then Cam and I have eye appointments one day after school.  But luckily my days are free unless I can get one of my friends to go to lunch.

Monday & Tuesday- I will work on decluttering the toddler's room
Wednesday- Hoping to organize in the dinning room
Thursday- Work on my 9 year old's room (might need some help from him)
Friday- packing for my weekend camping trip with the cub scouts:)

I am hoping to have the house mostly done decluttering this month.  I still need to do some organizing in the dinning room and office room (I skipped those after the kitchen because we were in the process of moving a bunch of stuff around).  And the kids rooms still need some work.  I need to find some time to work on my teenager's room with her help.  But after this month I hope to set up a schedule where I do monthly cleaning in a different area each week of the month.  One week will be the bedrooms, one week the bathrooms, one week the dining and kitchen areas, and one week the living spaces. 

Loving my To Do List!

I have finally found a "to-do" list strategy that is actually working for me:)  I am so happy.  For whatever reason in the past to-do lists were made but rarely were finished.  I think my problem was the size of the list and having an open ended time frame to finish it.  Now I make a new list everyday.  It will contain no more than 10 things (some big and some small) and I then star three that I feel are the most important.  I have been doing this for a week and a half and have finished almost everything every day.  I like how it gives me focus and how it gives me a sense of accomplishment when I check things off.  It also keeps my expectations within reason.  I don't have a list of 50 things staring at me all just waiting to be done. 

About my "chores" for the week, I am well on track.  Monday I cleaned the laundry room.  Other than taming the pile of rag towels (we just got new towels for the adults and shifted old towels into the rag pile).  I keep 5 in the laundry room for spills and to use as temporary rugs after playing in the snow.  And the others go downstairs in the basement.  I then cleaned and it really needed it.  The baseboards really need cleaned at least once a month in the laundry room because of all the lint. 

Tuesday and Wednesday I spent in the kids bathroom.  With a teenage daughter, her stuff was getting out of control on the counter.  So I got her two plastic boxes to keep under the sink.  One for hair products and one for face and body supplies.  She just has to pull them out and use whatever and then put it back.  I changed out the shower curtain for one we had only used for 6 months and then stored away.  I think the kids will like it because it has ducks on it:)

I fell like life is more calm and I am more focused.  I am really starting to love my house not just like it!

Plan for the Week

So my weekend once again proved busy and fun, but led to me not getting my weekly plan posted.  Saturday Cam (9 years) and I were at our Cub Scout Pinewood Derby.  Although his car didn't win, we had a fun time together.  Then on Sunday, it was a flurry of school projects due on Monday and helping my hubby in his new sports room. 

Here is my plan for this week.  I am going to focus on the Laundry room and the upstairs Bathrooms.

Monday: Laundry room (mostly cleaning but some organizing as well)
Tuesday:  Run errands and clean out the cabinets in the kids bathroom
Wednesday:  A few errands and clean the kids bathroom
Thursday:  Clean out the cabinets in master bathroom
Friday:  Clean master bathroom
Saturday:  Errands and Fun time out with the girls:)
Sunday:  Planning time and hopefully some time in the basement getting ready for the yard sale.

Sounds like a pretty busy week, but I am so excited by my results and accomplishments so far.  It was also nice when my husband complimented me on how great the house looks, even though he has been helping me along the way too.

I finally figured out how to add pics!

So when I started with my linen closet this morning I remembered to take a before picture:)

I know most of you would say "that doesn't look too bad!"  But I would respond, that we had 18 beach towels for a family of five with no pool.  Way to many!  So I set aside one for my husband who likes to use old beach towels during his work outs and put five into the yard sale pile.  Then I organized the flashlights, paper products and cleaning supplies I keep in this closet.

This picture makes me smile:)  And I guess that is what this whole project is about.  If I am happy, then life runs smoother!

I had some more thoughts about yesterdays post as well.  I just want to let you know that I don't include anything on my to do list that is already in my daily routine or is a habit for me.  I don't include starting laundry or loading the dishwasher because those are things I already do EVERY day.  I do include sweeping the wood floors because (while it probably needs done everyday) that is not something that I have been able to make myself do everyday.  That is a habit I am trying to form but am not quite there yet. 

Organizing my mind, not just my house!

So I have on going side projects that I have started as well.  One is to organize not just my space (i.e. house)  but also my mind!  One way I have found that works well for me is to make a daily to do list.  I have tried in the past to have a sheet with daily chores.  I used to store this in a plastic sheet protector and then would check off each thing as I did it.  But lets face it no two days are ever alike!  I might get the floor swept one day but not the next because I have errands to run.  So when that wasn't checked off I would feel bad because I didn't get everything done.

Fast forward to now.  I have a list of 10 things that I want to try to get done today.  I star the most important and try hard to get those few done.  Whatever doesn't get done gets added to the next day or a day later in the week.  Yes it does take time and paper to do this, but I figure this is a small price to pay for the lose of guilt I feel each day.  It is also nice to look back on your day and see what you accomplished:)

You can also add to this page what is for dinner, what your schedule is for the day, or how many glasses of water you drink.

The Master Bedroom

I started organizing my master bedroom on Monday.  My dresser was the first thing on my list.  Pretty easy job.  I refolded all the clothes and only kept the pj's and underwear that I actually wear.  All the others that get pushed to the back of the drawer were eliminated.  Then I dusted the top and got rid of some body sprays I never use.

Today I worked on the side tables.  Again a pretty easy job.  I used a lint roller on the cloth lampshades that were (I am sad to say) covered in dust.  It worked amazingly well, so well in fact, that I also used it on the table runner that I have on my long dresser.   I replaced the old coasters with ones we no longer use downstairs and threw away the baby monitor that quit working and the phone that broke 2 months ago.  Do you see a theme here?  My house is so cluttered with stuff that is broken.  I just never took the time to throw it away.  New promise to myself is to get rid of what doesn't work.  It isn't going to fix itself!

I have decided due to other errands I have to do, I will switch Wednesday and Thursday's tasks.  So tomorrow I will sort through my bookshelf. 

Wow Four Days Later!

Opps!  It's been four days since my last post.  But like I said I got nothing done on Thursday since most of my day was spent visiting a potential preschool for my youngest to attend next year.  Then on Friday I had to take said youngest to the doctor.  But when my hubby got home, we spent the evening moving the entertainment center upstairs so that the new TV console could be delivered on Thursday.  Saturday I spent my time in the basement getting ready for the PTO yard sale (and was pleasantly surprised when my husband came down to give me a hand).  Then we sorted through his sports memorabilia and placed it on the shelves in the new sports room upstairs. 

Today I spent more time in the basement pricing and sorting for the yard sale.  Then while giving my little one a bath, I went through my closet and got rid of 10 shirts and 5 pairs of shoes:)  I love those unexpected moments when I get a chance to accomplish something.  One thing I realized is that I need to take some before and after pictures.  It might spice this blog up:) 

So here is my plan for the week:  The Master Bedroom and set up monthly budget
Monday:  Tackle my dresser
Tuesday: Go through the side tables
Wednesday: Organize the rest of closet (not my clothes since I already did that)
Thursday: Go through the bookcase
Friday: Go through the linen closet
Saturday: Pinewood Derby!!!!!  (I love being a cub scout den leader)

Mid Week Bordom!

Tuesday and Wednesday were boring!  I accomplished my goals of organizing and decluttering the game and hall closets but not much to report.  I got rid of 6 games and a bunch of sets of gloves (apparently my teenage daughter had a collection going).  More moving items that didn't belong in the hall closet to where it did belong in other parts of the house.  Like the side walk chalk to the garage or snow coats to the upstairs closet where we normally keep them until we get a good snow. 

Oh, and when reorganizing my toddlers toys into the new bins from upstairs I freed up the three baskets that I am now using in the pantry to hold the snacks.  So I actually saved money by not having to go out and buy new ones:) 

My next goal (not having to do with organizing) is to set up a budget for the family.  I would love any suggestions as to what has worked for you.  I tried mint.com but didn't like all the start up work involved with entering all of your account numbers.  I kind of like it old school where you tracked it by hand or entered the numbers on the computer:) 

My Kitchen is chaos free!

I have finished the kitchen!  It is organized and mostly clutter free.  But I feel totally unorganized in the rest of the house.  I missed my planning session yesterday because of the long weekend.  Which might actually be a good thing.  My husband and I found a really good deal on another piece of furniture that was on our wish list so we bought it:)  Which meant of course that I had more to clean out and move around.  The new TV stand (not really an entertainment center) will take the place of our large entertainment center that will move upstairs to the bonus/Steelers room.  So in the process, we will lose the space that used to house all of the toddler's toys.  Big problem.  So we moved the storage cube with 9 bins downstairs to the new office area.  The last two days has been spent weeding out unwanted toys from both of the youngest kids.  Thankfully my teen is mostly out of the toy phase. 

I feel like I have a lot of started projects laying around,so this week I will try to finish those.  Then we can move the old entertainment center upstairs next weekend to make room for the new one to be delivered.  Tuesday I will go through the game closet.  Wednesday I will organize the hall closet.  Thursday my toddler and I are visiting a preschool to see if she will go there next year (yeah) so I don't think I will get much done that day.  Friday I will be up in the bonus room trying to get it ready for the furniture move (i.e. vacuuming and dusting).  Saturday I will spend some time in the basement organizing items for the yard sale.  And Sunday will be a planning day.  Busy week but I already feel so much better about the kitchen, that it has inspired me to keep going where in the past I would have quit by now.  I am excited because my husband has even started decluttering some of his stuff without me even asking:) 

Kitchen is almost DONE!

So I missed my posts for the last two days because my house has been overrun with sick family members.  My son was home for two days and my husband was also home for two as well. So while I did my assigned tasks each day, when it came time to post I was just too tired and went to bed:) I am excited to say I am almost done in the kitchen.  All I have left is the "office" area, which happens to be located in my kitchen near the phone.

On Wednesday, I cleaned out the utensil drawer and the cabinet under the sink.  Which was remarkably uncluttered because I had emptied it out a few months ago.  The utensil drawer lost a few items to the donate box and got a good cleaning.  Then on Thursday, I organized the cabinets and drawers in my island.  Mostly matching up the plastic storage containers with their lids and getting rid of any strays.  Since this didn't seem to take much time, I also spent the last two days going through my files and shredding a lot that I didn't need to keep.

I have a confession to make:  I am a paper hoarder!  I have saved all of my bills and receipts for the past year, and it has sat in a pile in my kitchen cabinet.  So on Wednesday I sorted through the file cabinet where these papers should have ended up, and on Thursday I sorted and filed away the foot tall stack of papers.  So Friday (actually today), I will go though the rest of the cabinet and drawers to organize the space.  

The Kitchen Cabinets

Since Monday and Tuesday both involved my kitchen cabinets, I decided to combine them into just one post.  They pretty much involved the same thing.  Looking at each item individually and asking myself two questions: "Have I used this recently (like in the last 6 months)?" and "When we move, do I like it enough to pack it?"  If I don't get at least one yes, then out it goes.  I got a box full of old pans and dishes.  Then I cleaned the microwave and stove top really good:)  Which I am ashamed to say, they really needed it! 

As an added bonus I went through half of my files and shredded a lot of unneeded paperwork.  I am a paper hoarder.  I keep way too much with the thought that I may need to look it up someday. So I am well on my way to sorting through my paper clutter. Even with one kid home sick from school and some errands to run, I still got quite a bit done today!

Planning day!

So Sunday night is here and I haven't really thought about next week:)  I spent today helping Cameron with his Pinewood Derby car and watching my favorite football team lose. 

I know I have errands to run tomorrow, so I guess I will just tackle the cabinet above the stove (and clean the stove and microwave).  Then Tuesday I will go through the next two cabinets.  Wednesday will be under the sink and the utensil drawer.  Thursday I will organize the island.  And Friday and Saturday I will work on what I call the "paperwork" cabinet and drawer.  Sounds pretty good to me:)  Hoping my second week is as successful as my first. 

Opps! I missed a day:)

So yesterday was my first missed blog!  I did my task of the junk drawer but didn't get a chance to write about it.  Our new desk was delivered yesterday evening and Bryan and I put it together.  Once that was finished, I had to go to bed so I could get up for an all day Cub Scout training today. 

The junk drawer was less exciting than I thought it would be.  It was mostly just putting items that belong in other parts of the house away.  Like tools in the garage and craft items in the basement.  It did seem like we had a vast number of locks and keys floating around.  So I took the time to match them all up and used twist ties to put the locks and keys together.  Then threw away the two locks that didn't seem to have any keys. 

And today, like I predicted, I didn't get any organizing/decluttering done.  After being gone all day, I just came home for a quiet evening with the family.  So as my first week draws to a close, I consider it a big success!  I stuck to my plan for the most part and decluttered a fair amount of stuff (mostly from above the fridge).   I also have decided that instead of waiting for the summer for our community yard sale, I will participate in the PTO yard sale the end of March.  Hopefully I will be able to sell some of this stuff I am uncovering and use the money to help buy the items I need to organize the rest of the house (i.e. bins for the pantry)!

So why am I doing this???

So many of you might ask why am I doing this blog?  It all started with the thought that we might be moving at some point in the next 5 years. And I was overwhelmed with a feeling of dread at the idea of moving this entire house any distance.  I have tried to declutter in the past and it always lasts about a month and then I seem to loose my purpose.  So a blog where I have to account for why I didn't do my assigned task for the day seemed like a stroke of genius:)

So far so good.  Day 5: declutter the cabinet above the fridge!  Check!  Lots of stuff I didn't even know was up there.  Now I look at everything and ask myself:  "Do you like this enough to pack it and take it with you??"  If the answer is no, out it goes.  We also just bought a new desk which opened up a lot of new tasks I hadn't bargained for taking on just yet.  Apparently in this house, new desk equals total reorganization of the house, not just a simple desk swap:)  So I also spent today taking all of my husbands sports memorabilia off of his shelves, dusting and boxing them until we move them upstairs.

Tomorrow I tackle the junk drawer which should be interesting since I have no idea how to organize all that crap!  Plus I am sure another task in the craft/new office area.

The Fridge

Well today's mission was super boring!!!!  Cleaning out the fridge and freezer was uneventful and proved to have no organizational issues what so ever. But it is something we all need to do once every couple of months (or sooner depending on your family).  I try to throw out almost empty bottles of sauce and those that may have expired.  Then I add them to the grocery list if I don't have any on hand.  My other tip is to clean one shelf at a time.  Don't empty your entire fridge out onto the counter, only to have your toddler alert you to the fact that she needs to go potty right that second.  Lastly, wipe down the outside and see if there are any magnets and papers that need to find a new home.

That was short but sweet! And since my hubby and I also decided to start back exercising on Tuesday, I am exhausted and in a little bit of pain.  Tomorrow, I finish up that section of the kitchen with cleaning out the cabinet above the fridge.

The Pantry

So today's mission was the dreaded pantry.  Mine was a disaster.  All my food was crammed into a small pantry and one upper cabinet.  Due to my very hands on toddler, I had emptied out all of my bottom cabinets rather than pick everything up off the floor several times a day. But now that she is at an age where I can keep her out of them, I have decided to spread out my food.  Now I can buy more when it is on sale and hopefully save money in the long run. I did pretty good until I realized that I needed to combine today's project with Fridays (organize the other food cabinets).  Otherwise I would be reorganizing everything again.  Very counter productive!

I came across two issues today.  The first was a need to buy containers to organize the snack foods.  I am currently using round baskets and bowls that are not using the space in a good way.  I will have to keep my eye out for something on clearance.  My other issue was what to do with the grocery bags I collect from stores.  I normally use reusable bags when shopping but on occasion forget to take them.  I use the plastic bags at home for the small trashcans and for dirty diapers, so it is necessary to keep them.  But now they are just spilling out all over the bottom of the pantry.  So after a little research, I found two possible solutions.  One is to fold them up into small bundles and put them in a container on the floor.  The other is to reuse a cleaning wipe bottle.  I like this idea, but I think I will have more bags than one of those will hold.  It would be nice to keep one of those in the mini-van and one upstairs for the bathrooms.

Since I did my task for Friday today, I have decided to tackle my junk drawer instead!  Rubber bands, paper clips and keys!  Oh My!

Surprise, Surprise!

Well today didn't go quite as I had planned (when does it really).  I awoke to discover our very beloved hermit crab, Shelton, had passed away in the night.  Very upsetting to my nine year old son and myself, if I am being completely honest. 

So I figured it would end up being a bummer, do nothing, last day of vacation.  But to my amazement after I went grocery shopping, I decided to put away the last remaining Christmas items left. . . the wrapping paper.  I keep this under my bed next to the regular wrapping paper.  This lead to a fun declutter project.  I sorted through all the gift bags I have saved (regular and Christmas).  Finally letting go of the horribly ugly ones I push to the side every time I get a bag out.  I discarded over 20 bags!  Although the project wasn't in the kitchen, I felt very happy when I was done.  Now I think I am ready to tackle the pantry tomorrow . . . maybe!

Where to start???

As I begin this journey I wonder where to start.  So I will start with where I got the idea to begin this blog.  As I was searching aimlessly on the Internet for ideas on how to organize my house, I came upon a calendar someone had set up to declutter and organize one thing or area each day of the year.  Cool I thought, until I realized that if I followed their calendar I would just be setting my self up to fail.  What would happen on the days when I didn't have another dresser drawer or shelf to clean???  I would just skip it and that would make it easier the next day to skip or make excuses.  Trust me, I do that a lot.  So that is when I decided to start a blog where I post each day with my accomplishments and failures (this is where the accountability comes in).

My goals will mainly focus on organizing our lives and house with the hope that it will help us save money in the long run.  I plan on using Sunday as a planning day where I will lay out what I plan to do each day of the following week depending on other commitments I might have involving my children.  Some days will have to be quick 15 minute projects while others will be more lengthy.  I am hoping to focus each month on a new area of the house but I might have to adjust this, as I go, to focus on a new area each week instead.  As this is an on going process who knows what the final outcome will be.  As I begin this journey, I realize that each persons calendar needs to be unique to your own life and home, but hopefully I will have some good ideas on organizing or some ideas that didn't turn out so hot that you may not want to try:)

Today being the first day of the new year, my husband and I cleared out and packed away all of the Christmas decorations so that I could start my new year without that distraction.  So in theory tomorrow would start my calendar year and my first day of organizing.  But since all of the family (3 kids and 1 husband) will be home and no telling what the day will have in store for us, I will start my calendar on Tuesday.  January will be "kitchen month" and Tuesday I will jump right in and tackle the pantry.  I need a new system for my canned goods.  Wednesday will be the refrigerator/freezer.  Thursday the cabinet above the fridge. Friday the rest of the food cabinets. And Saturday (since I have an all day commitment to Cub Scouts) I will leave open with the hope of squeezing in a small project.

Wow!!!  I am already overwhelmed:)  But I feel great about my plan and now I just need to put it into action.  Wish me luck, I think I might need it!