Great tips for getting it together

From The Sunny SIde Up Blog:

•  Store sticky jars and things in your pantry on a baking sheet to keep your cabinet shelves clean. <3 this!
• Pre make snack bags and store them in a basket, so when you are making lunches, or running out the door to a double header soccer game you can quickly grab snack bags. (Totally doing this!)

I LOVE those tips! I have a baking sheet that I burnt (yeah I set it on the stove and turned on the burner) but it would work great for catching stickies!

I have been loving my snap and lock containers, and am probably going to get more ASAP. I try to store our snacks in containers, rather than snack bags. I don't like to buy snack bag, and I don't like the waste. My friend Mel uses reusable fabric snack bags. Some day I will get some (or better yet make some) and possibly use those. 

Anyway I was checking out blogs and ran across The Sunny Side Up blog and wanted to share her tips. Hope you liked them! Do you have any tips to share with me? Feel free to leave a link to your favorite organizing/ cleaning/ decorating blog in the comments. 

Tidy Tuesday!

      It's Tuesday again... so I'm back on Kitchen and Dining room/Classroom. It's a dreary rainy day and I really just want to curl up and sleep, but the floor is sticky and the girls are asleep... so I'll make the best of my time and get down to business. First I want to ask anyone that might be reading... anyone? How do you get your family to pitch in? This is a pretty new thing for us, this whole trying to maintain a really tidy house, and I feel like I am the only person invested in this. Uptown helps but I have to ask him (read: get really upset and then make a snarky comment at him under my breath) and then he is happy (to kick me for being so nasty) to help. At what point does everyone realize that our house looks amazing,  and maybe having mom run around and pick up after everyone to maintain this awesomeness isn't fair?

       Typically from 1pm until 3pm is when I do my cleaning and organizing. Before I pick up the kids from school the house is beautiful, clean, and almost sparkling. Then the kids get home and all of a sudden there are papers, paint, crayons, shoes, socks, and toys EVERYWHERE! I feel like a broken record as I say, please clean up after yourself, and if I find this on the floor/table again it is going in the trash. I feel like a cranky, nasty tyrant! I tried to explain to Uptown the other day that it would be like me walking into his place of work and moving things and putting them back in all the wrong spots, leaving papers all over and then just going to sit down and watch a movie. Now in Uptown's defense, he works two jobs, and is really not here very much. BUT.... in my defense I am here ALL DAY EVERY DAY. This is my job, this is my place of business, and I never get to leave and go home to relax..... there is no replacement, no substitute, no days off, basically no relief. I know I have chosen this, and I am blissfully happy to be able to stay at home, but at some point it would be nice to get not only myself, but my family to coast through these schedules.
     I think for now as we are all still getting use to this whole new schedule/ tyranny, I'll have to relax a little ( a little!) and keep up the reminders and try to re train everyone.


     How long does it take to form a habit?

I would love to hear your tips. Please feel free to comment so it doesn't feel like I am talking to myself.

Closet clean up

Here are a couple of pictures of my closet. Today I took about 15 minutes and just cleaned it up a bit. One day soon it will get a total transformation, but not today. 

UGH

This is after. Like I said... 15 minutes. It was a quick pick up and hang up. It looks better.

Typically I like to organize my clothes from light to dark, but I have several other things that need to get done today, so I'll have to get back to this another time... maybe tonight while Parker is taking her bath.

I am loving this schedule. My house is staying clean, and looks a HUNDRED times better and I feel better. I was talking to my mom the other day about having junk and clutter all over the house and how cloudy and sluggish I feel. As soon as rooms are picked up and tidy I immediately feel better. We have both agreed that there are several house projects that we want to work on. The first is Matt is moving his music studio from our third floor bonus room, down to the basement. This is his project. He said he wanted to get in on the organizing too! YES! The second is my project of organizing the bonus room and turning it into my mama cave! I have my sewing machine and craft supplies up there already, but hopefully soon I'll be putting my exercise stuff up there too. We are moving the chaise from the living room , which is currently in our bedroom to make room for the christmas tree, up to my new room. I have an older tv up there and it will be a nie place to hide when I need to do so. The third project is a HUGE one. We are moving the kids theater from the front living room, downstairs to the basement. We have a large basement area that was being used as my exercise area, but we would both rather move the kids tv and video games downstairs. This means I have a LOT of work to get done. With the holidays coming up so quickly, I'm a bit nervous that we won't get it all done in time, but I also don't know if it all needs to be done before Christmas. So maybe that means I should get off of here and get started? 

What plans do you have? Are you taking it easy for the season, or are you taking it all on and cramming in as many things as you can? I tend to work best under pressure. I will do my best to get pictures on here, because really what fun is just reading about me doing stuff if you can't see how awful it looks at first and how much better it looks when I'm done.

A bowl full of lemons.: Giveaweay time!!! JO TOTES.

One of the blogs that I LOVE, is A bowl full of Lemons. She has so many great ideas for getting organized! I check in pretty much daily! Today she has an awesome giveaway! I love photography.. big puffy heart love photography! Today the giveaway is from Jo TOTES. I LOVE bags, purses, clutches.. etc. These look awesome! A bag with compartments so you can store your camera and lens' along with your other purse belongings? *swoon* Go check out ABFOL! and enter to win a cool bag! Hey if you win and don't want the bag? Holidays are coming and I know you love me!

A bowl full of lemons.: Giveaway time!!! JO TOTES.

Tidy Tuesday!

Tuesday is Kitchen and dining room (classroom for me) day! I think everyday is kitchen day around here. We are a family of six and usually every single time I turn around the area I just cleaned is messy again. So teaching our children to clean up after themselves is an every day chore as well. If anyone has good tips on how to get a 5 year old to actually listen and pick up... I'm all ears. I'm hoping that I didn't wait to long to teach our kids how to "clean up as you go". This is new to all of us and we are breaking new ground on the chores front, I'll be sure to keep you updated. The older two are doing alright, The youngest (2 year old) "helps" a lot.  OK enough about my family... What's on my list for today?

Tuesday
Kitchen and Classroom/Dining Room
Organize & wipe down cabinets
Clean out microwave & fridge
Wipe down fridge, dishwasher, toaster and microwave
Clean sliding glass doors & tops of cabinets
Wipe down walls
Organize classroom shelves and books
Wipe down tables and chairs in both rooms
Organize cabinet in classroom and craft cabinet in kitchen
Dust classroom shelves
Wash bed linens from M's room
Sweep and mop floors

Of course your list might be a bit different. If you have a dining room you might need to dust and clean your china cabinet, or buffet. Don't forget those baseboards! All they need is a quick wipe. If the first time you do them they are really dusty, it might take a bit longer. Ask me how I know this. Once you really clean these areas each daily and weekly task becomes easier, then you are just in maintenance mode. Maintenance mode is AWESOME!

 Please let me know how you are doing, or if you want to see anything specific. I can't do photo heavy posts currently, but hopefully I'll get my computer situation fixed and then load posts full of pictures. In the meantime please check out my facebook page and "like" it! I'll have photos posted over there.
Have a great Tidy Tuesday!