In the Process.....

  So, I am working on my craft/home school area.  I have BIG plans and dreams for the area which has been used previously as a possible spare bedroom....then a dog's room....then storage....to a playroom.....storage again......and now cleaning it out and converting it to a functional, organized room to be used for home school.  There is a built in desk in the room that will be the craft area. I plan on buying a folding table for school since we have a ping pong table that folds up, I figured if we had something that could be put away easily the kids could use the ping pong table and could use the room as a play area as well. 

I also wanted to send you guys over to my FAVORITE organizing blog.  She has some really fantastic ideas!  Especially this one. on organizing those dreadful cords! If you are anything like me, there are a ton for the camera, computer, phone, etc.  She is so talented and gives me inspiration on a daily basis :). 

I will post pictures of my redone room as soon as it is done so keep checking back!  Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!

Ahead of schedule!

  Wow!!!  I did not expect this.....Done. On Monday! I knocked out my laundry room today...of course I had help.....I was so excited when my mom texted me this morning and told me she was coming in town to help me.  It really was just too big of a job for me to conquer alone.  I needed support, encouragement, and discipline.  My mom was perfect!  She unloaded and didn't ask any questions...."this is junk, it needs to be tossed"....yup your right mom...it was a bunch of JUNK!!! and now it is GONE!!!!

So first thing was first.....EVERYTHING had to come out!  and it did.....all except the washer and dryer...we just moved those around to clean under and behind them.

After everything was out, it was time for cleaning.  All the shelves, floors and washer and dryer were scrubbed clean.

Once everything was cleaned,we started to put things in there place.

When we were done, I was left with my beautiful (well not as beautiful as I dream my laundry room to be one day, but hey its a start), organized laundry room :).  Take a look at the before and after....

BEFORE

Before.....

 eeek you don't know how embarrassing this is, but I plan on using this as a reminder to keep it organized ;)

The JUNK!!!

More Junk....

And just when you thought there could not be more.....yes here it is...of course not ALL of it is from the laundry room, but a lot of it is. Now to plan for a yard sale, right?

AFTER

And finally AFTER....how amazing is this!?

aaaahhhh...organized

Amazing that I can actually stand at my washer now!

Oh yes room for maybe some cute hampers :)

 

  I still have more I want to do with this room, so I will update you, but right now I actually WANT to go in there now ;).  I want to know what your favorite part of your laundry room is??

Tupperware

  Okay, so does anybody have a problem with a messy Tupperware cabinet?  Well, I did.  It was out of control! Every time I went to get a container for left overs, I was searching for bottoms and tops that went together, and it usually took forever to find.  This was usually due to the fact that I simply threw them in the cabinet when I unloaded the dishwasher.  I mean it was faster, ya know? 


This had to be stopped, so I sat down one day dragged all the Tupperware out, and went through every one making sure there was a top to go with it.  If not, I tossed it or put it in with the outside play things for the kids.  I had this dish pan from Big Lots that I had used for various things, but found that it is perfect.  Now every time I unload and put away containers I pull out the tub and place inside.  It has really kept it organized, and it doesn't take to much time. :)

My incredibly small cabinet for pots, pans, and Tupperware!

This might not work for everyone because, well, if you notice I use a ton of recycled plastic containers (i.e. from sandwich meat, and the restaurant my mom works at uses these fabulous plastic to go containers that can be washed..awesome!) but there are other options, lazy susans, drawer organizers for the lids. You just have to make it work for you!


What do you do to keep your plastics contained?

Way to long...

  I have missed this...blogging.  I have written and taken notes for the past month trying to keep up, but as far as typing and posting...well...life just got in the way.  I have been busy though..seriously....crazy busy!  A little organizing...a little school...and a lot children. 
To get you up to speed....I brought my oldest home to home school and man do I love it.  If you had asked me six months ago that I would be homeschooling I would have told you that you were out of your mind!! Well....I might be out of my mind, but it was simply the best for her to be at home with her family learning and growing, physically, mentally and spiritually.  Now all might change, but right now it is awesome, amazing, and pure God driven!!!

So today I give praise and thanks to Him, and pray that He continues to give me strength and above all else patience.

Now...... for organizing well I am about to post some of the little projects I have been doing, and soon (hopefully this weekend) post my new, improved, and organized laundry room!!  so stay tuned ;)

My foe

  The one thing that constantly works against me (other than evil).......procrastination.  I know, I know its a lot of people's right? 
Well, some days are really good....I attack and conquer most things, but other days it is really hard..."oh, I can do that tomorrow."  and then it turns out to be the next week and I am literally kicking my self because I didn't get the task done.
 I feel like I have tried EVERYTHING from scheduling my day down to the minute ( which usually does not work) to having a To Do list.  I also cut back on t.v. as well as deleting my facebook account, and it seems that it still creeps up on me.

So I ask....what do you do to overcome and defeat procrastination?

Progress

  Okay.....so for two weeks I have been cleaning and organizing and taking care of kids and dr appts and school....so I have made progress and I wanted to share with you guys...FINALLY :)! 

So I reorganized my kitchen like three weeks ago, but I have been going back every so often and doing little things. For instance,  a junk drawer?  What in the world have I been thinking?  Why and when did I decide it was okay to have a junk drawer?  I don't know if that is a "normal" thing or if it was be just being lazy, but it is GONE....no more!  I know have all my drawers filled and being used on a regular basis.  OH,  and I can find EVERYTHING!! :) Another cool add in....a snack box!  Inspiration from Iheartorganizing.  

I LOVE IT!!! The kids come up and they are like "I'm hungry" so my reply "well, go get something from the snack box,"  it is great!  You do have to take time to separate the snacks from the big bag to individual bags but trust me it is soooooo worth it!!!

Alright moving on to my son's room.  Man, was this a job!  It took me three hours (at least I did lose track of time of when I started and when I officially stopped) but when I was done I GLOWED!  The kids immediately went in to play which made me so happy because it had been WEEKS since they had been in or shall I say were able to go in there.  So here are a couple of pictures....

I found this at Wal Mart for 12 bucks!!! It is so easy to put together and you can stack them any way your want!

So my tags are pretty cheap looking, but hopefully I will be able to upgrade one of these days :) They were the easiest, fastest and cheapest that I had on hand.  Yes, that is clear tape you see, cheaper than laminating. 

Closet still needs some work.  Plan on buying a shoe organizer ASAP!!

I bought this basket tower at a yard sale a year or two. Ry doesn't seem to mind that it is pink :)

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There just wasn't enough room for all of his train stuff in the drawers that the table had so I got these at the Dollar Store!!! They have great baskets and things for a dollar!!!

This was an old dresser that we used when he was an infant....as he grew so did his wardrobe so now it is used for storage...like puzzles and DVDs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had so much fun reorganizing his room!!! I start out completely overwhelmed, but when it is over it is the BIGGEST reward!!! 

There is something I have learned that I need to share with you.....  clean with gratitude!!!  I can't remember where I got this from but one of the blogs I have been reading had a post all about cleaning your house with gratitude.  It is so easy to get frustrated, unhappy, and downright lazy when it comes to cleaning, but if I have learned anything I have learned that it gets you NOWHERE!  So get up and get started ;) 

The Beginning

  So I have been researching for three days on organization.  How in the world can I get my house organized with two kids, school, and well the 50 million other things that I feel is going on in my life? I found out through my research it IS possible!  Who knew!? There are so many amazing women with fabulous blogs about how to get organized....They have truly inspired me.                       

After all the research, I am on a mission to reorganize my house, my life, and my kiddos in hopes that this semester will be far less overwhelming than the last.

My first stop was the kitchen......pantry.  I took everything out like Fly Lady suggested and wiped down the shelves, walls, floor, and door.  Then, I separated the contents into groups: pasta, rice, side dishes, snacks, cereal, things the kids could get without me (things that needed my help or my permission went on the top shelf), can goods, and so one.  There is an amazing woman who has truly set the bar high for my organizing goal, Jen she inspired me to go even further!  I can not wait...I am budgeting and hoping that it will be done by the end of next week!

That leads me to my point.  I am going to blog all about my adventure in reorganizing my house!!! I am going to let you know what was easiest for me, if it is even possible, and hopefully along the way I will find out some new tricks to add!  I also want YOU to help me!  I want constructive criticism, encouragement, your own ideas, I want all of it!!! I am so excited about this and can't wait to see what we come up with!!