Christmas is great. Mad rush to organize the house, lots of food, family and fun. Lots of gifts. And then the aftermath. Cleaning everything up. Finding room for all the new clothes, toys and more. Figuring out how you got all the decorations in the boxes last year. We decided to get some new shelves for the kids rooms, so they can have some books, toys and stuff in there, and keep the playroom less cluttered. I also wanted to get some hooks for the entryway so the kids could hang up their own coats, instead of throwing them all over the place.
Well, today was the start of the Spring Cleaning. Some other friends are doing mass organizing in their homes and I decided to follow suit. I got the hooks for the entryway and tidied that up. Will have to wait for the hubs to do that though. I don't want to risk missing a stud or damaging the drywall.
Next step is to get the shelves for the kids rooms and organize all the toys, books, puzzles, games, cars, trains, AND MORE!
Well, I should put away the laundry first. And then the groceries. Then the Christmas decorations. Then.....
Showing posts with label Resolutions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Resolutions. Show all posts
Friday, January 11, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
2012 Review and 2013 Resolutions
2012 was a fantastic year over here in {not so} clean land. My maternity leave continued, and then ended and I quit my job. M graduated from her first year of Preschool in June and we had a great family vacation and road trip to Great Wolf Lodge, Portland and Seattle. We met some amazing friends and had a blast. The rest of the summer was fairly uneventful, and the school year started with M increasing her school time to 3 days per week at Preschool. The last four months have seen an increase in my business, and our house has become more busy. But it's all very exciting.
My goals for 2012 were to have a better schedule, to eat better and to continue to simplify. Our schedule has almost been forced into a new normal, with M being in school more. I've found a relatively comfortable balance between family, house and work, and hopefully will continue to get better at that. Eating better is hard to evaluate at the end of the year, with the holidays, the treats, the good food. And simplifying has gone great. Overall, I think I did a pretty good job at last year's resolutions.
Now, my goals for 2013.
Continue to simplify-I could probably have this as a goal for the rest of my life. In the last few months, I've found, and gotten addicted to local buy/sell/swap groups, and a local bidding wars site. I sold my maternity clothes as soon as I fit back into my regular jeans. No excuses! Then, after passing on my baby stuff to friends that could use it, I started listing and selling what I could. And as I started cleaning up different rooms of the house, I found more stuff I could sell, either on the buy/sell/swap group, or if it was a higher ticket item, on the bidding site. THAT one is fun because if more than one person wants something, and I've priced it right, that can drive the price up. Items that aren't in good enough condition to sell, I can donate to the thrift store where my Mother in Law volunteers. A fast way to simplify the house, and perhaps to make some pennies as well.
Do something everyday for myself-part of being a good wife, mom, employee, or person, includes taking care of me. So whether I throw on wii fit and do some yoga, or take a bath, watch a movie, go for a walk, or coffee, or something else, I want to try to do something every day just for me. Time to take care of myself, re-focus, and be better able to concentrate on all of the other things I have going on.
Hold myself accountable more- I have enough lists, or apps, or just know in my head what I need to do but fail to follow through and get them done. Like house cleaning. I could very easily get off the couch and go wipe down the counter. But I don't. It could take two seconds, but I stay where I am. If I held myself more accountable to the lists I've made, the daily, weekly, monthly etc tasks I want to accomplish, then I would get a lot more done, and would feel a lot better. Wait, isn't this why I started this blog? HAHA! Ok so I want to use the blog more. I need more accountability in my life, more follow through.
What are your resolutions for this year? Or goals, or just things you want to work on or keep in mind? Let me know and we can hold each other accountable to get everything done that we need to. Let's start 2013 with some great goals and some great friends!
Happy New Year to everyone!
My goals for 2012 were to have a better schedule, to eat better and to continue to simplify. Our schedule has almost been forced into a new normal, with M being in school more. I've found a relatively comfortable balance between family, house and work, and hopefully will continue to get better at that. Eating better is hard to evaluate at the end of the year, with the holidays, the treats, the good food. And simplifying has gone great. Overall, I think I did a pretty good job at last year's resolutions.
Now, my goals for 2013.
Continue to simplify-I could probably have this as a goal for the rest of my life. In the last few months, I've found, and gotten addicted to local buy/sell/swap groups, and a local bidding wars site. I sold my maternity clothes as soon as I fit back into my regular jeans. No excuses! Then, after passing on my baby stuff to friends that could use it, I started listing and selling what I could. And as I started cleaning up different rooms of the house, I found more stuff I could sell, either on the buy/sell/swap group, or if it was a higher ticket item, on the bidding site. THAT one is fun because if more than one person wants something, and I've priced it right, that can drive the price up. Items that aren't in good enough condition to sell, I can donate to the thrift store where my Mother in Law volunteers. A fast way to simplify the house, and perhaps to make some pennies as well.
Do something everyday for myself-part of being a good wife, mom, employee, or person, includes taking care of me. So whether I throw on wii fit and do some yoga, or take a bath, watch a movie, go for a walk, or coffee, or something else, I want to try to do something every day just for me. Time to take care of myself, re-focus, and be better able to concentrate on all of the other things I have going on.
Hold myself accountable more- I have enough lists, or apps, or just know in my head what I need to do but fail to follow through and get them done. Like house cleaning. I could very easily get off the couch and go wipe down the counter. But I don't. It could take two seconds, but I stay where I am. If I held myself more accountable to the lists I've made, the daily, weekly, monthly etc tasks I want to accomplish, then I would get a lot more done, and would feel a lot better. Wait, isn't this why I started this blog? HAHA! Ok so I want to use the blog more. I need more accountability in my life, more follow through.
What are your resolutions for this year? Or goals, or just things you want to work on or keep in mind? Let me know and we can hold each other accountable to get everything done that we need to. Let's start 2013 with some great goals and some great friends!
Happy New Year to everyone!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The curse of 'I'll deal with that later'
I think one of the reasons why I have so much stuff is because when I don't know what to do with something immediately, I put it aside to figure out later and of course I never get around to doing that. So I end up with piles and boxes of stuff that I tell myself that I'll deal with later and just never get around to. And when I finally do, all I end up doing is reorganizing the mess so it isn't as overwhelming in the moment.
So it's a little late but I'm adding a new years resolution to my list. When cleaning up and organizing stuff, if I come across something that I can't put away in the moment, I get rid of it. If I really do need to keep it then it should have a permanent home already. And if it isn't worth finding one for, then it probably isn't worth keeping.
This doesn't just apply to physical things, but also to tasks. Once I've made my 'I'll organize that later' pile, I actually have to find time to organize it. Instead, every time I walk by, I tell myself 'oh yeah, can't forget to clean that up' and of course what do I do? FORGET.
So instead of procrastinating, I need to follow Nike's catch phrase and 'Just Do It'. Or add my own, and 'Just Do It NOW'. And instead of dealing with junk later, I need to ask myself, 'Do I REALLY need to keep this?' and do something with it (NOW) based on my answer to that.
So it's a little late but I'm adding a new years resolution to my list. When cleaning up and organizing stuff, if I come across something that I can't put away in the moment, I get rid of it. If I really do need to keep it then it should have a permanent home already. And if it isn't worth finding one for, then it probably isn't worth keeping.
This doesn't just apply to physical things, but also to tasks. Once I've made my 'I'll organize that later' pile, I actually have to find time to organize it. Instead, every time I walk by, I tell myself 'oh yeah, can't forget to clean that up' and of course what do I do? FORGET.
So instead of procrastinating, I need to follow Nike's catch phrase and 'Just Do It'. Or add my own, and 'Just Do It NOW'. And instead of dealing with junk later, I need to ask myself, 'Do I REALLY need to keep this?' and do something with it (NOW) based on my answer to that.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
2011 Review and New Resolutions
This has been a very busy year for us. It started off with the purchase of our new house, then the de-cluttering/purging of the crap, we sold the townhouse, and then had the big move. Once that was all done, my pregnancy progressed, I finished work and then finally we welcomed our son, baby K to the family. The last 6 months of 2011 have been busy, with getting used to our new home and our new family.
My resolution for 2011 was to simplify. It started with getting rid of all our extra junk at the townhouse before we moved. My new mentality carried over to the new house, when I finished purging the rest of the junk and started a new cleaning schedule and organization system. It was hard work, but I feel like my life has been simplified now. Just in the last few days, we set up a new organization system in the office and I took bins and organized the toys and art supplies in the play room cupboard. It's a great way to start off a new year.
Now for my goals for 2012.
Better Schedule- for me and for the kids. Baby K hasn't been napping or sleeping very well, and because of that, neither have I. If I can establish a better routine, both during the day and for bedtime, hopefully his sleep will settle into a predictable schedule as well. And since bedtime and the evenings have been so crazy around here, I haven't gotten as much done as I normally would like in the evenings, and have been going to bed super late. So part of a better schedule means for me to use my alone time in the evenings more wisely and for me to also go to bed at a reasonable hour. Which would hopefully allow me to be more rested and have more energy, and also more time during the day to spend with the kids instead of trying to get stuff done that I can't get done at night.
Eat Better- I had been doing pretty good at this, but kind of lost track, with the pregnancy, post partum and then the holidays. Less eating out, more cooking at home. I want to start using the crock pot, and making healthier meals at home.
Continue to simplify- since my physical life has been simplified in terms of less clutter around the house, I want to simplify my mental life. Do more for myself, like reading, or going for walks or jogs, taking baths, and spending time doing my hobbies, like sewing or scrapbooking. If my house is in a zen state, it should help me to get my mind and body also to a nice relaxed, calm, simple state.
And with that thought, here's to 2012. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe time celebrating tonight, and I'll see you all next year!
My resolution for 2011 was to simplify. It started with getting rid of all our extra junk at the townhouse before we moved. My new mentality carried over to the new house, when I finished purging the rest of the junk and started a new cleaning schedule and organization system. It was hard work, but I feel like my life has been simplified now. Just in the last few days, we set up a new organization system in the office and I took bins and organized the toys and art supplies in the play room cupboard. It's a great way to start off a new year.
Now for my goals for 2012.
Better Schedule- for me and for the kids. Baby K hasn't been napping or sleeping very well, and because of that, neither have I. If I can establish a better routine, both during the day and for bedtime, hopefully his sleep will settle into a predictable schedule as well. And since bedtime and the evenings have been so crazy around here, I haven't gotten as much done as I normally would like in the evenings, and have been going to bed super late. So part of a better schedule means for me to use my alone time in the evenings more wisely and for me to also go to bed at a reasonable hour. Which would hopefully allow me to be more rested and have more energy, and also more time during the day to spend with the kids instead of trying to get stuff done that I can't get done at night.
Eat Better- I had been doing pretty good at this, but kind of lost track, with the pregnancy, post partum and then the holidays. Less eating out, more cooking at home. I want to start using the crock pot, and making healthier meals at home.
Continue to simplify- since my physical life has been simplified in terms of less clutter around the house, I want to simplify my mental life. Do more for myself, like reading, or going for walks or jogs, taking baths, and spending time doing my hobbies, like sewing or scrapbooking. If my house is in a zen state, it should help me to get my mind and body also to a nice relaxed, calm, simple state.
And with that thought, here's to 2012. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe time celebrating tonight, and I'll see you all next year!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
21 Day Challenge, just in time for the new year
My New Years Resolution for 2011 was to simplify, and I really feel like I've succeeded. My new house is clean and organized (most of the time) and I don't have too much extra clutter hanging around. So now it's December 1st, I'm almost ready for Christmas and am thinking about what kind of countdown to Christmas program I want to do. I mean there are advent Calendars, 12 Days of Christmas, etc and it's a great time to start thinking about a New Years Resolution for next year and get everything ready for the end of the year. My newest addiction is called Pinterest. It's basically a bunch of photo boards where you 'pin' links and ideas. You can steal ideas from your friends, or search for specific ones and pin them to your own boards. So of course I've found some great ideas on there and decided that a 21 Day Challenge would be perfect for the month of December.
Click here to visit 'A Bowl Full Of Lemons'
I'm borrowing this idea from a blog called 'A Bowl Full of Lemons'. I might post pictures of my progress, especially on the days where I make a lot of progress. And since there are 31 days in December, I might combine some days and get one task done all weekend, for example.
Here are the daily tasks. Feel free to join in if you want. I hope to start the New Year with a clean, organized house.
21 DAY ORGANIZING CHALLENGE
Join the Challenge (at any time)
Day 1 - Junk Drawer
Day 2 - Computer Desk
Day 3 - Tupperware Cabinet
Day 4 - Linen Closet
Day 5 - Under kitchen sink
Day 6 - Dresser Drawers
Day 7 - The Pantry
Day 8 - Coat Closet
Day 9 - Toy organization
Day 10 - Laundry Room
Day 11 - The Freezer
Day 12 - Spice Cabinet
Day 13 - Medicine Cabinet
Day 14 - Under bathroom sink
Day 15 - Medicine/Vitamin Storage
Day 16 - The Fridge
Day 17 - The Mail
Day 18 - Keepsakes
Day 19 - Master Closet
Day 20 - Photos
Day 21 - You pick!
Click here to visit 'A Bowl Full Of Lemons'
I'm borrowing this idea from a blog called 'A Bowl Full of Lemons'. I might post pictures of my progress, especially on the days where I make a lot of progress. And since there are 31 days in December, I might combine some days and get one task done all weekend, for example.
Here are the daily tasks. Feel free to join in if you want. I hope to start the New Year with a clean, organized house.
21 DAY ORGANIZING CHALLENGE
Join the Challenge (at any time)
Day 1 - Junk Drawer
Day 2 - Computer Desk
Day 3 - Tupperware Cabinet
Day 4 - Linen Closet
Day 5 - Under kitchen sink
Day 6 - Dresser Drawers
Day 7 - The Pantry
Day 8 - Coat Closet
Day 9 - Toy organization
Day 10 - Laundry Room
Day 11 - The Freezer
Day 12 - Spice Cabinet
Day 13 - Medicine Cabinet
Day 14 - Under bathroom sink
Day 15 - Medicine/Vitamin Storage
Day 16 - The Fridge
Day 17 - The Mail
Day 18 - Keepsakes
Day 19 - Master Closet
Day 20 - Photos
Day 21 - You pick!
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