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. 

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.