Lately I have been feeling really guilty. I have been planning for a new baby girl (in other words shopping!) and planning for preschool, which has involved a bit of shopping, and a LOT of printing.
I know the organizing rule that when you bring new stuff in, old stuff should go out...and that has not been happening in this house! Some of it is not for lack of trying, I have listed a few things on craigslist several times, but so far as many replies as I have gotten, no one has followed through. So today I went to work re-listing items, apparently if you try to make 4 posts one right after another "craigslist can't keep up" and you have to wait a while...I don't know how long that is as I tried over an hour later and still got that message!
However, that's still no where near the number of things I need to be getting rid of, and so this weekend I am going to start with a small goal to get rid of 25 items. They must LEAVE the house by Monday and items that are already in the donate box do not count.
So far I have collected:
-3 shirts out of my closet that are way too small, which I will be giving to my neighbor's daughter
-3 shirts out of my son's "store for winter" bin that I don't think he will fit in next winter, that will go in the donate box.
I have less than 14 weeks until baby #2 arrives, and I really want to be able to relax and enjoy my baby without the stress of all this clutter and disorganization when she arrives. So I have a ton of work to do in the next 3 months...hopefully that means more activity on this blog and a more peaceful Momma!
PS, you can check out my new pre-school/tot school blog over at http://piecesofparenthood.blogspot.com/
Friday, June 17, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Closet Project (Almost) Complete
I decided to go ahead and post this even though there are several finishing touches to be done. Mainly touch up paint, and some more things to be organized and put away. My husband is out of town this week though, and I had the boys pick up the toys in the living room before nap, so I went ahead and put them away in the closet, and I am loving it! No more stacks of toy bins in the living room and the big toys with no place to go! Now the boys will have to ask for what they want to play with, and I can easily have them pick up one thing before they are allowed to have another bin out.
Now my pictures are not too good because I just snapped some quick pics, but here they are:
Before:
I took the hanging closet organizer out, and it will most likely be going in Baby #2's closet. We keep the dresser in his closet because it doesn't match his furniture, and it will save space once we move the big guest bed into M's room. And yes his closet is packed full of clothes...in my defense...I do keep a lot of long sleeves and sweatshirts even for summer so that on cooler days I have a variety to choose from.
Now for the after:
One of the best things we did, was to move the closet rod down just a bit so we could go from having one shelf to having 2 shelves. I love this so that I can put his big toys on the bottom and I can reach them easily. Yet I will have a top shelf that may be hard for me to reach, but I can store things that I do not need to get to as often. I will probably be storing some of his "to grow into" items such as shoes and clothes that I have as hand me downs from my nephew, that I haven't gotten to organizing yet. Adding the extra shelf is something I definitely plan to be doing in the new baby's closet also!
I used the spot on the right bottom side of the closet to add some more shelves. These will function better for him now that he is older than the closet organizer I had. I can store his toy bins (which I do plan to make labels for someday) and still have a little bit of room left which I am sure I will soon find something laying around the house of his that needs to be put away.
Here you can see the spots that need to be fixed with the paint because initially my husband put the shelves at 18 inches apart and it made them too high so that the clothes hit the top shelf and I wouldn't be able to store anything on it, so he redid them to be 12 inches apart and it works great this way. But he barely finished up Sunday evening and M had to be going to bed so the paint touch ups will have to wait until my husband gets home this weekend.
I am so thankful to my husband for doing this project, I am already starting to feel better now that I have somewhere to put the toys away. I know that as we continue to do these projects I will feel better and better as things start to really have specific homes!
Now my pictures are not too good because I just snapped some quick pics, but here they are:
Before:
I took the hanging closet organizer out, and it will most likely be going in Baby #2's closet. We keep the dresser in his closet because it doesn't match his furniture, and it will save space once we move the big guest bed into M's room. And yes his closet is packed full of clothes...in my defense...I do keep a lot of long sleeves and sweatshirts even for summer so that on cooler days I have a variety to choose from.
Now for the after:
One of the best things we did, was to move the closet rod down just a bit so we could go from having one shelf to having 2 shelves. I love this so that I can put his big toys on the bottom and I can reach them easily. Yet I will have a top shelf that may be hard for me to reach, but I can store things that I do not need to get to as often. I will probably be storing some of his "to grow into" items such as shoes and clothes that I have as hand me downs from my nephew, that I haven't gotten to organizing yet. Adding the extra shelf is something I definitely plan to be doing in the new baby's closet also!
I used the spot on the right bottom side of the closet to add some more shelves. These will function better for him now that he is older than the closet organizer I had. I can store his toy bins (which I do plan to make labels for someday) and still have a little bit of room left which I am sure I will soon find something laying around the house of his that needs to be put away.
Here you can see the spots that need to be fixed with the paint because initially my husband put the shelves at 18 inches apart and it made them too high so that the clothes hit the top shelf and I wouldn't be able to store anything on it, so he redid them to be 12 inches apart and it works great this way. But he barely finished up Sunday evening and M had to be going to bed so the paint touch ups will have to wait until my husband gets home this weekend.
I am so thankful to my husband for doing this project, I am already starting to feel better now that I have somewhere to put the toys away. I know that as we continue to do these projects I will feel better and better as things start to really have specific homes!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Making our house a home
I know I haven't posted on this blog in a very long time. Honestly, I had pretty much given up with how unsuccessful last year turned out. I had all these hopes of getting organized, and did not accomplish even a fraction of what I had hoped. The few things I did accomplish quickly fell apart without constant maintenance, that I have yet to figure out.
I thought I would give up this blog all together, but a friend of mine found this blog a while back and said that it inspired her to do some much needed organization in some of her kitchen cabinets. Which in turn inspired me to get back on the wagon and try again.
Now I have a plan for the future, I want to buy a bigger house with 4 bedrooms instead of 3 and of course have a bigger yard, etc, etc. I spend a lot time thinking about it and how to make it happen, and in turn I neglect the house I live in. I think "well I don't want to put too much money and effort in here because I would rather save to get our dream house" I realize that this is totally off and I should be making the house we live in our home, instead of planning for something that we will be lucky if it happens in the next 10 years. So I am determined to focus on turning the house we have into something that can feel more like home, and be more pleasant to live in for the time that we are here.
We have several projects lined up for the coming months. Putting some extra shelves in our son's closet, and some extra shelves in our hall cabinet. We are planning to stack our washer and dryer so that we can take the dryer side and turn it into a pantry, and turn our entry closet back into a storage/coat closet since it really does not function well as a pantry. And most important of all, turning our guest bedroom into a nursery for the new baby girl that we are expecting in September!
I thought I would give up this blog all together, but a friend of mine found this blog a while back and said that it inspired her to do some much needed organization in some of her kitchen cabinets. Which in turn inspired me to get back on the wagon and try again.
Now I have a plan for the future, I want to buy a bigger house with 4 bedrooms instead of 3 and of course have a bigger yard, etc, etc. I spend a lot time thinking about it and how to make it happen, and in turn I neglect the house I live in. I think "well I don't want to put too much money and effort in here because I would rather save to get our dream house" I realize that this is totally off and I should be making the house we live in our home, instead of planning for something that we will be lucky if it happens in the next 10 years. So I am determined to focus on turning the house we have into something that can feel more like home, and be more pleasant to live in for the time that we are here.
We have several projects lined up for the coming months. Putting some extra shelves in our son's closet, and some extra shelves in our hall cabinet. We are planning to stack our washer and dryer so that we can take the dryer side and turn it into a pantry, and turn our entry closet back into a storage/coat closet since it really does not function well as a pantry. And most important of all, turning our guest bedroom into a nursery for the new baby girl that we are expecting in September!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Organizing Time
I am starting to think I really need to take a class in time management. I am discovering that all other forms of organizing will not ever be successful until I can successfully manage my time. I may get started on something, but it rarely gets completed, and if it does, it does not stay nice and neat for long.
My husband and I often talk about creating schedules, cleaning schedules, meal schedules, scheduling "my" time, and "his" time. But never have we really stuck to one even if we halfway made one. I don't like rules, and I don't like restrictions. I don't like sticking to schedules because I like being flexible, if tonight is meatloaf night, and the neighbors are outside, I don't want to be stuck inside cooking while everyone else is outside visiting. So I really don't like the idea of a schedule in that way. But I am thinking that some kind of schedule is going to have to be made, and we can be flexible with it when necessary, but we also need to really try to stick to somewhat of a routine.
Right now as it is, I have so many projects I want to do, so much cleaning I need to do, etc....that when I have a some time I am so stretched in all directions, that I don't really accomplish anything. I am so stressed constantly over all the many things that need to be done, I can't focus long enough on just ONE thing to actually finish it...and half the time I can't concentrate enough to even get started!
So I would love tips on how you manage your time, or examples of schedules that work for you (or that you are trying out and tweaking, like I will be for a while I'm sure!).
My husband and I often talk about creating schedules, cleaning schedules, meal schedules, scheduling "my" time, and "his" time. But never have we really stuck to one even if we halfway made one. I don't like rules, and I don't like restrictions. I don't like sticking to schedules because I like being flexible, if tonight is meatloaf night, and the neighbors are outside, I don't want to be stuck inside cooking while everyone else is outside visiting. So I really don't like the idea of a schedule in that way. But I am thinking that some kind of schedule is going to have to be made, and we can be flexible with it when necessary, but we also need to really try to stick to somewhat of a routine.
Right now as it is, I have so many projects I want to do, so much cleaning I need to do, etc....that when I have a some time I am so stretched in all directions, that I don't really accomplish anything. I am so stressed constantly over all the many things that need to be done, I can't focus long enough on just ONE thing to actually finish it...and half the time I can't concentrate enough to even get started!
So I would love tips on how you manage your time, or examples of schedules that work for you (or that you are trying out and tweaking, like I will be for a while I'm sure!).
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
C25K Drop Out
So I am a Couch to 5k drop out! I haven't jogged since August 18. It is just too hard right now to find a good time to go jogging.
So instead I found something that I really enjoy - ZUMBA! A neighbor introduced me to a place here that has hour long Zumba classes for $5 and childcare for $2/child! So it is affordable and fun! I have gone 3 times so far, and really look forward to going again. I hate working out, and this is a great way to work out, without it being about how long you jog or how many push ups you can do. Being in a class with others also helps me push harder and makes it so that I won't give up in the middle of a workout!
Other than that, I haven't really gotten very far with my organizing. I did get my office floor all picked up so that I can vacuum later (boys are napping right now). And a while back I started reorganizing my file system, so mainly I had to pick up a bunch of folders and papers that came out of my file cabinet that still needs to be gone through, so I have them all stacked on a shelf.
I really wish I could just take everything out of many rooms in my house and completely start over including building shelving, etc that fits my needs. But that is not possible right now, so it is kind of discouraging.
However my hubby got an offer for a new job! We are so excited but he won't be able to start until October 4th, because first he has to accept the offer letter and then wait on drug testing/background check. But at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel! He will have to leave at some point for at least a couple weeks for some training, but will be well worth it. It should be better insurance and will be a bit better income! Hopefully that will give us a little extra to do some house projects I want to do.
So instead I found something that I really enjoy - ZUMBA! A neighbor introduced me to a place here that has hour long Zumba classes for $5 and childcare for $2/child! So it is affordable and fun! I have gone 3 times so far, and really look forward to going again. I hate working out, and this is a great way to work out, without it being about how long you jog or how many push ups you can do. Being in a class with others also helps me push harder and makes it so that I won't give up in the middle of a workout!
Other than that, I haven't really gotten very far with my organizing. I did get my office floor all picked up so that I can vacuum later (boys are napping right now). And a while back I started reorganizing my file system, so mainly I had to pick up a bunch of folders and papers that came out of my file cabinet that still needs to be gone through, so I have them all stacked on a shelf.
I really wish I could just take everything out of many rooms in my house and completely start over including building shelving, etc that fits my needs. But that is not possible right now, so it is kind of discouraging.
However my hubby got an offer for a new job! We are so excited but he won't be able to start until October 4th, because first he has to accept the offer letter and then wait on drug testing/background check. But at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel! He will have to leave at some point for at least a couple weeks for some training, but will be well worth it. It should be better insurance and will be a bit better income! Hopefully that will give us a little extra to do some house projects I want to do.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Week 1 Update
Well I started the Couch to 5k last Monday. The first day was really hard I actually only managed to do the jog/walk alternating for the first 10 minutes and then walked most of the last 10 minutes with about a minute jog in the middle.
So I did W1D2 on Wednesday and did the whole 20 minutes. Was supposed to do it again Friday, but we went out to dinner and had big meals too late to go jogging at night on Friday and Saturday. So I did W1D3 on Sunday. Went the whole 20 minutes and got a faster pace, but still wasn't ready to move on to Week 2. So tonight I did what I am going to call W1D4. I haven't decided whether I will do another day of Week 1 or move onto Week 2.
I also have an update on DH's job situation. He did not get into the police academy. He applied today at another job where a friend of his works, and hoping to hear back something soon. It would not be nearly as big of increase in pay, but hopefully enough to take a little stress off of us.
As far as organizing goes, I haven't gotten a lot accomplished there, but I did get my first Christmas present made! I really hope to make all Christmas presents, and so I am starting early and hope that I don't have to do any last minute gifts this year!
So I did W1D2 on Wednesday and did the whole 20 minutes. Was supposed to do it again Friday, but we went out to dinner and had big meals too late to go jogging at night on Friday and Saturday. So I did W1D3 on Sunday. Went the whole 20 minutes and got a faster pace, but still wasn't ready to move on to Week 2. So tonight I did what I am going to call W1D4. I haven't decided whether I will do another day of Week 1 or move onto Week 2.
I also have an update on DH's job situation. He did not get into the police academy. He applied today at another job where a friend of his works, and hoping to hear back something soon. It would not be nearly as big of increase in pay, but hopefully enough to take a little stress off of us.
As far as organizing goes, I haven't gotten a lot accomplished there, but I did get my first Christmas present made! I really hope to make all Christmas presents, and so I am starting early and hope that I don't have to do any last minute gifts this year!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Couch to 5k
Ok, so part of this getting organized, also needs to be about time management, and about me getting in better shape in every way, not just getting my house in shape, but my body too.
I really wanted to be back at my pre-preg weight before getting pregnant again, and I still have 10 pounds to go. But what bothers me more than that, is the extra inches that are on my thighs/hips.
I just attempted to go swim suit shopping and it is AWFUL!
We are also planning to maybe try for baby number 2 in the winter, so I really need to get in better shape before that, so that I will be in good enough shape to try to keep from gaining 50lb like last time.
So I have decided to join Jolene's Couch to 5k challenge over on http://nthnbutmoonshine.blogspot.com/
I really hope I can stick with it, I am hoping my DH will do this with me, hoping maybe we can borrow our neighbors jogging stroller and see how it goes. If we like it, we may have to buy one.
I also got out my old pedometer today, because I want to try to start walking more and making sure I get in more steps. Today I am going to just kind of see what an average day is for me and then I will add to it for a daily goal.
Hopefully I will also start doing elliptical or my Jillian Michaels video on off days from running. But right now I am just going to try to start out slow with the walking and the couch to 5k program.
I really wanted to be back at my pre-preg weight before getting pregnant again, and I still have 10 pounds to go. But what bothers me more than that, is the extra inches that are on my thighs/hips.
I just attempted to go swim suit shopping and it is AWFUL!
We are also planning to maybe try for baby number 2 in the winter, so I really need to get in better shape before that, so that I will be in good enough shape to try to keep from gaining 50lb like last time.
So I have decided to join Jolene's Couch to 5k challenge over on http://nthnbutmoonshine.blogspot.com/
I really hope I can stick with it, I am hoping my DH will do this with me, hoping maybe we can borrow our neighbors jogging stroller and see how it goes. If we like it, we may have to buy one.
I also got out my old pedometer today, because I want to try to start walking more and making sure I get in more steps. Today I am going to just kind of see what an average day is for me and then I will add to it for a daily goal.
Hopefully I will also start doing elliptical or my Jillian Michaels video on off days from running. But right now I am just going to try to start out slow with the walking and the couch to 5k program.
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