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!

Master bed & bath before and after post.

This challenge was rough! Or bedroom and bathroom were really messy! I didn't realize how unorganized our bedroom and bathroom were/are,  until I started cleaning. With that being said, I just cleaned and my Sunday challenge will be to organize our book shelves, closet, and bathroom. Now for the fun part....
First is the before picture of the bedroom.

And after I cleaned. It took me about an hour and a half for both rooms. Since I will be doing these rooms weekly the upkeep should be A LOT quicker!

SO MUCH BETTER! I can't wait to organize.

Now on to the bathroom before....

 UGH it wasn't too bad, but still every time I walked in it bothered me. It feels SO MUCH BETTER now!


After pictures of the master bathroom...

Please ignore the fact that there are no decorations or anything, one thing at a time. lol

Feel free to comment, or link to pictures of your project! I'd love to see what other people are doing!

Wednesday Challenge

When my friend Mel and I started this challenge to try to get our houses clean I had no idea I would love it this much! If you know me at all, you know I LOVE a challenge! If anyone ever tells me I can't do something you can believe I bust my bum to get it done. This last month has been one of the hardest of my life. Uptown and I lost our baby boy. I was 16 weeks pregnant and something went wrong. Throughout the whole pregnancy I kept telling Mel that when I was pregnant I have this nesting urge that is overwhelming. It has progressively gotten stronger with each pregnancy. With this pregnancy I had a list a mile long of things I wanted to organize and get done. For once in my life I actually started getting it together! So when I lost the baby I was heartbroken to put it mildly, but I found that organizing and cleaning has really helped me process. Every time I start to feel out of control I throw myself into a challenge, and by the end of the challenge my brain feels a bit clearer and my house looks a little bit better. I am trying to focus on one area of my life at a time. For example I am trying to get into a groove of this cleaning schedule before I move into meal planning. I figure that eventually, maybe by the time I'm 40, I'll have a clean house and I'll have learned how to meal plan!

Ok so enough with all the heavy stuff, let's move on to the fun part! Today on my schedule is my Master bedroom and Master bath. I've made a daily cleaning list and a weekly chore list. Each day on my list are basic things to keep the house tidy, and each day of the week there is a challenge. Today is my Master bedroom and master bath, both are in need of serious help. Really they are! I am going to do my best to always do before and after pictures, but until I get my computer fixed you will have to settle for pics from my phone. Another thing I feel I should mention. I have always looked at cleaning/organizing  blogs and have been intimidated. I mean you go to these sites and the areas that they show are BEAUTIFUL! They are usually already clean, as far as I am concerned. I really do strive to be there, but it is a constant struggle around here. With that being said... my house is not in tip top shape. You are following along on my journey and struggle to get organized and get it together! I would LOVE comments, suggestions, etc...  Just in case you want to follow along, here is my schedule:

Daily
Load/empty /run dishwasher
wipe down counters, table and stove
pick up and put away as you go
wipe down mirrors, make beds
vacuum and sweep as needed
laundry

Monday

        Living room
Pick up items that don’t belong
Return items to where they belong
Dust furniture, blinds, shelves, ceiling fan
Wipe down walls, baseboards.
Vacuum, wipe down TV, sweep hardwood
This includes the hallway and front door.
Wash bed linens from Parker’s room
          

Tuesday
Kitchen and Classroom
Organize &Wipe down cabinets
Clean out & wipe down wicrowave & fridge,
Wipe down fridge and dishwasher
Organize school cabinet, wipe down toaster
clean sliding glass doors, tops of cabinets
Sweep and mop floor, wipe down walls
Organize classroom shelves, go through books,
sweep and mop floor, clean window, dust shelves
dust cabinet and organize, wipe down tables
Wash bed linens from Miranda’s room

Wednesday
Master bedroom & Bathroom
Gather laundry, clear off end tables,
Empty trash from bedroom/bathroom
Dust furniture, wipe down TV and mirror
Wipe down ceiling fans, and door handles
Organize/wipe vanity area, wipe down sinks
Clean mirrors, tub, shower, toilet. Wash rugs
Wipe down blinds, refill towels, sweep/mop



Thursday
Kids bathroom
Wipe down tub and shower
Wipe down toilet and scrub inside
Wipe outside of toilet near the floor
Wipe down sink and vanity, clean mirror
refill towel rack, remove any laundry
Wipe down door handles and walls
Sweep floor and mop, scrub floor near
the bottom of the toilet.  Empty trash can.
Wash bed linens from Gryphon’s room

Friday
  Guest Bathroom
Clean toilet and vanity
Take out trash, wipe down walls
Wipe down doors , clean mirrors
Change hand towels, Clean baseboards
Sweep and mop the floor



Saturday
     Laundry room
Do all left over laundry.
Wipe down walls and washing machine
and dryer. Sweep and mop the floor
Organize pantry.

     I use Sunday for anything that I haven't gotten around to cleaning or organizing. We are a family of six, and that leads to A LOT of stuff. I have recently giving the kids chore charts. I kept it simple to get them started, and will give them more to do as they incorporate the small tasks into their daily lives.

Organize and Organize again...and again...and....

I've always been a mess, a big hot mess. My house was always the house with clothes and toys EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really do mean everywhere. When Uptown and I bought our house and moved in, a dear friend of mine made a funny comment that has stuck in my head. She said "Your house is beautiful, DO NOT let it get as messy as your apartment!" of course she was joking. It has eaten away at me ever since we moved in. So in the last month my friend Pres and I started an organization challenge. Every day we pick a trouble spot in our respective houses and we organize. We have gotten a lot done, but (and this is a big but) BUT we both found that we can't just organize a spot and move on and forget about it. We had to come up with a schedule to maintain as well. So Today is Tuesday and on my schedule is Kitchen and Dining room/Classroom (I use my dining room as a classroom) So every Tuesday I go through and pick up, wipe down, sweep and mop. Now keep in mind I have 4 kids so this is a daily struggle. I am still trying to balance living in our space and keeping it clean and organized. I've been reading blogs, pinning pins, reading magazines, but it really comes down to what works best for our family, and I've yet to discover that. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.