The Year of Getting Organized
I’ve written gobs of blog posts where I’m really bad about never going back and letting you know how that all turned out. This is my goal for tonight: lots of updates!!
Update #1: The Great Clean Out
inspired by reading Money Saving Mom‘s book:
It’s sort of an odd time to suddenly be all about organizing my house: we are moving in JUNE. However, we are drowning in TMS–too much stuff–so I have been plugging away at “The Great Clean Out”. I decided to combine it with “Getting Organized”, one of my goals for the year. I’ve been a rubbermaid boxing, label makin’ fool.
Okay, really I’ve only managed to organize three rooms and a few closets, but I’m going to whip out that “4 small boys” excuse again. It works well for me. Progress is progress. Go me.
Here are my Organization tips:
1. stackable boxes. There’s nothing worse than avalanches of stuff. You know, like a giant pile of purses that falls on your head if you move the wrong way. It looks bad. It creates confusion, and it just doesn’t work. Put all that same junk in stackable boxes, and suddenly BOOM, you look–and are indeed–organized.
2. Label it! If it’s in the box, it needs to be on the label. “Office stuff” is not a label. A proper label should read: “paper clips, folders, notebooks, paper”. You get the idea. Specify!!!!
3. Toss, toss, toss!!!!
If you don’t remember the last time you used it, you don’t need it. If you’re keeping it for that day, two years from now, when you will most certainly need it, but you don’t need it now–chances are you won’t know where it is then, so unless it’s extremely expensive–toss it.
Even if it is costly, it may not work anymore by the time you finally need it. You get the idea. Go watch that t.v. show Hoarders for some inspiration. This could be you!
I am almost done with our coat closet:
Sometimes I find myself with literally only 20 minutes before I have to leave the house, and that’s when I work in mini-projects like this. All you need is 10 minutes to organize one drawer–one shelf–one cabinet. You get the idea. But first, go to your favorite “everything” store (Target), and get some of these awesome clear, square boxes.
Update #2: Keeping My Toddler Busy
Remember all the hilarious Dan photos? Dan covered in pudding, Dan and the powder- bedroom- blizzard, Dan and the baby cereal, etc. etc.??? I’m constantly on a mission to keep this little booger busy.
My friend Patti gave us these Knex blocks for him. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Check out the house he built. After I took this photo, he stuck a propeller on top of it all and called it a helicopter. Then it flew away with Daniel, and I’m not sure where it is now.
He has been much better lately. Your birthday gifts to him also have helped him to stay busy. THANK YOU! He is obsessed with airplanes.
Update #3 Snow
We have snow everywhere, every week or so. The good news is that it melts more quickly now. The bad news is black snow: GROSS. Alabama friends, you would die. Piles of plowed snow everywhere, and the street pollution turns them black. Makes you wonder about what we’re breathing.
It’s a thing of wonder and beauty when it’s freshly fallen. I will never really dislike snow. It’s just that I don’t want to be cold anymore.
Last update: #4 My Friday night dilemma from my last post
We ended up dividing up the kiddos. Alan took Joshua and Dan to the buffet dinner. I stayed home with Caleb and John David, which has actually been an extremely relaxing evening for me.
See, I kept JD out and about all day. We volunteered at the school–don’t worry, we made and sorted copies and didn’t disrupt any classes. Then we went to lunch with my friend Margret. JD ATE QUESADILLAS!!! I was so proud!
All that, plus three hours of stroller riding to get the boys from school and an hour and a half at the park left JD wiped out. He was completely sleep deprived, so he went to bed at 6pm. Yes, I will have to be up with him a little tonight to pay for that, but oh well.
Right now it’s just Caleb and me–oh the glory–the two people who love to sit here and play computer the most, and that is exactly what we are doing. I love you, Caleb!!!!
Caleb and me, 6 years ago
More Organizing Posts:
Goal: To Take Housekeeping More Seriously, But Not Too Seriously
I hope things are going well in the organizing department. I saw Crystal Paine just last week. I have her newest book about survival mode in my stack to read soon.
I have a long way to go on the organizing! You’ll have to let me know how you like her newest book!
Your boys are so very cute! I have a son named Caleb too. I seriously need to get to work on organizing for sure.
aaaargh…. everywhere I look people are telling me about their spring cleaning. It’s like a direct hit to my lazy bone.
Oh, I can totally relate to that! I think organizing is fun, if only I could convince my family members to follow my systems and keep it organized……but cleaning…..eh. Washing dishes is okay, but I’m not the type that you will see scrubbing baseboards. I did pay someone to vacuum them, though…..I figure that counts.
Oh, and you’d feel much better if you could see the unpictured portion of my house! Ha!
Update post…thank you! Gives me closure 🙂 I love the advice to toss things that you might need 2 years from now bc you probably won’t know where it is then. Great point. I need to put that into practice!
Glad I could give you closure. I thought about you when writing updates, but not about organizing per se, since ya’ll are already very organized. I know I leave you hanging a lot though. I still can’t believe JD is suddenly ATTACKING the table food. So exciting! Now if only he would drink from a sippy!!!!!!!