We're getting organized

This task is so long overdue it is just not even funny. It drives me crazy and I feel like everything around here is so out of place. The clutter is horrible and I have complained about it long enough. I have tried and tried to get rid of the clutter and nothing has worked. I feel like I am always cleaning and it is never really clean. Granted, I have two little ones running around so there is no shortage of mess going on here. Well I have finally reached my limit and I am more determined than ever that the crap just has to go and we need to get more organized.

That said, I have thought a lot about it over the last several weeks. This task is part of my new years resolutions and this is one I am sticking to no matter what. I did a survey of my house and determined what areas were bugging me the most. Then once those were identified I came up with a solution to each one. Here is what I came up with so far:

The Kids - I am always picking up after my kids. So much so that I was convinced my carpet was meant to have the toy scattered look. I decided that there was no way they could play with ALL these toys at the same time. So, in the morning I let my oldest pick 4 toys she wants to play with. Each time she wants a different toy she knows she has put one away. This allows her to play with all the toys she wants but she puts them away and that keeps the mess to a minimum.

The Clutter - I went at the clutter really in two different ways. I had a lot of papers that were just getting in the way. The key to dealing with these was to create a simple filing system. I sat on the floor one evening and sorted everything and filed it all away. The next part of dealing with the clutter was to find a place for everything. I walked around for several days just looking at stuff saying "everything in its place". That mindset was amazing for me because I realized that all the things that were driving me crazy were the items that did not have a place. Either that or they were not in their place for whatever reason. I fixed all that and now I just make sure I put everything back in its place. My life is well on its way to clutter free.

Organization - A little extra organization never hurt anyone. Above I said that everything has a place and this really goes hand in hand with the clutter. Some things though really need a new place. I had a ton of stuff in my kitchen cabinets and drawers that just did not belong there. These are not really my clutter items because they are not out for people to see. These are more my misplaced items. For instance, I have a packing tape dispenser in there. It takes up almost the entire darn drawer. I am not sure what I was thinking. Well now it has a new home in its own place out in my garage. There were so many things I did not use on a regular basis. So, I got several plastic storage containers and some labels. I grouped things together, added a label and put them in their place. This way I can still easily find things but they are not taking up space that is much needed for other things.

Clean as you go - This is definitely a challenge for me. I do not necessarily have a big house but I have 3 levels and a total of 4 bathrooms. My biggest issue here was I had one set of cleaning supplies. I decided to get the necessary supplies for each area. This way I cannot make the excuse that the supplies are downstairs so I will do it later. Now I clean as I go and this keeps me from having to set aside hours each week to take on many of these tasks. When we use the shower, tub or toilet it gets a quick clean afterwards. If you dirty a dish put it in the dishwasher right away. A big thing for me is cleaning the dishes after dinner and getting it done right away.

This is what has been in the works at my house. For the first time I really feel like I have a plan that will help a lot. Hopefully it is enough to keep me from going completely and totally insane. This is a constant struggle for a lot of us. I hope there is something in here that will help you out.

What are your thoughts? What favorite organizations tips do you have?

Stumble It!

New Year Resolutions?

It is a new year and often a time when we sit down and take inventory. We think about all the ways we can change our lives, even just a little, for the upcoming new year. Do these resolutions really work? Do people really make them and follow them to a better life? Typically I do not bother to make them because I figure I will work at them for a few days and then move on. This year though I have done a major inventory of areas I am lacking. That led me to believe I am in desperate need of a life overhaul and resolutions might be in order. Here are just a few things on my list:

1. Get Organized - I need to get more organized with both my personal and business stuff. It is a mess and finding something that is needed is next to impossible. I plan to take one area of the house a week and focus on getting that organized.

2. More Family Time - We need to spend more time doing family stuff. During the days I need to spend more time with the kiddos doing stuff that is fun. We need to get out more and explore things available to us.

3. Go Green - As I have stated before I try to do my part but I am far from perfect. I plan to update stuff around the house as I can to make it more efficient. Plus I plan to do a lot more with things I can recycle. Once I add a few extra containers this should be simple and make a huge difference.

4. Eat Healthier - This is not just for me even though I would love to lose some extra baggage. I want to introduce my kids to better food choices that they can carry with them throughout their lives. This will be hard because to be honest I am a junk food junkie. I hate to take time to fix myself breakfast and lunch so instead I just snack throughout the day. I am giving up a lot of things to get them out of my system. Soda will be the first to go. I am not even going to substitute right now with diet soda. Instead it will be more water, tea and juice. Also, I plan to find a new healthy recipe each week and try it out.

I am a lot more determined so hopefully I will be able to stick to my guns and get things done. I hope you all have a wonderful new year and accomplish all your goals. What are some of your resolutions?