Laundry

The mere word makes me want to run and hide. Blech. And why is it that during the winter there seems to be four times the amount of laundry than during the summer. One would think that because we don't get out in the heat and all that we would have LESS laundry during the winter. But noooo, we have four times as much. It's called layering. Ugh!

I feel like I have never ending piles of laundry right now. I don't mean just a pile or two...I mean like five or six loads waiting to be done...always. When I was single I could go two weeks without doing laundry basically. Seriously...I had enough clothes to go at least two weeks without having to do a load of laundry. When I got married I could go a week for the both of us. Now that I have kids...daily...and even sometimes then it is multiple loads daily. I can't get used to this...although one would think a person would after over six years of it!

Several years ago I made a promise to myself that unless I could actually finish a load of laundry completely then I just wasn't going to do it right then. I finally realized that by folding the laundry immediately after it was dry I no longer had much ironing to do (which is the last thing I want to be doing other than cleaning bathrooms). So, I have done really well with this up until this last six months or so. I am just laundried out (not sure that is even a real word but it is today in my book!).

A few weeks ago I decided I was going to try and do at least one load of laundry a day. I have done okay with that other than the days that are super busy. I am not sure that is going to be a great system for me, but it seems to be helping. I tend to have a few days I get a load done and then a day or two where I do several loads. It's working for me so far and while doing laundry yesterday I came up with an idea that just may make it easier for me. So the next few weeks I am going to figure out how to make that work.

I have one of those laundry sorter kind of things. The one that has three bins and you can separate the laundry as you put it in the dirty clothes. Well, I don't just do three different types of clothes. I need at least two of those sorters, possibly three. Then I think I would have the perfect set up for me to be able to do a load a day without having a ton of stuff all over the place.

One of the things that REALLY annoys me about how our laundry area in this house is set up is that my dirty laundry is pretty much right out in the open. I really don't like that. The washer and dryer are in a closet at the end of a hall in our kitchen. That whole little hall is such wasted space to me (one opf my huge pet peeves about houses is wasted space in the floorplan!). So, I have been trying to find creative ways to utilize that space without it looking cluttered and crazy. Since we are just renting I can't really do anything permanent so this has been a wee bit of a challenge. But I think after my little light bulb moment the other day I may have a workable solution now at least! The hall is wide enough for sure, so now I just have to keep an eye out for another one of the laundry sorters that kind of already matches what I have. Each full section is a load for me so it would work out perfectly to have my white, colors, darks, reds, delicates, jeans, pants, light towels and dark towels on in separate bins. I may try it out with some smaller laundry baskets or something for a while to see how it works. Or maybe I could find a way to do something like one of these awesome ideas.

Hanging canvas laundry bags

Laundry Basket Dresser from Infarrently Creative

 Not sure who to credit as the link on Pinterest is broken.

Rolling, rolling, rolling...keep them doggies rolling...

I have spent a lot of time this week thinking about my purpose for this blog and what exactly I am hoping to accomplish by doing this. My focus isn't just getting my house back in order. actually, a big part of my focus is just getting my life back in order. I thought life was crazy when my twins were born, and those few years after. But nothing has prepared me for then getting older, more active, and moving every few years. So, really I want to focus on getting my life back together somewhat and learning to adapt to the situation rather than finding it all overwhelming and giving up before I even get started.

This week I spent a lot of time thinking about not only cleaning up and organizing my home, but my health and health of my family as well. How can I improve this? How can I lose some weight and start eating better. How can I help my children with their needs (my kiddos have special needs, will explain all that some day I guess) and do all that needs to be done.

When you fly somewhere you will hear the flight attendant tell you in case of an emergency to put your face mask on first and then secure the face mask for your child. I never understood this before I had children of my own. Then one day it just hit me and I "got it." You must take care of yourself first, because if you aren't around then who is going to take care of your child? In my head I now get this. But it has been SO HARD to try and put this into practice in my own life. I know I need to take better care of myself. I know I need to exercise on a regular basis and eat healthy. But actually doing this has been really, really hard for me. So really I want this blog to be about that journey...putting it all together and finding what works for me. Not just cleaning up and organizing my home.

Although the last few weeks I have really been focused on my house, I need to focus on the whole picture. I need to add one thing maybe from each area of my life a week that I want to work on. Or maybe just one thing from one of the areas. I don't know. I want to take it slowly and yet I want to dive right in and do it all. So very hard to know what is right! The biggest thing I don't want to do is to set myself up for failure. I WILL get there. And with each step forward I may take a step or two back from time to time, but the important thing is that I keep on going!

So while the other day I got discouraged because I didn't pick up everything that night before going to bed like I had done every night the last week, I will just keep going. Tonight I will make sure that all the toys in the living room are picked up before I go to bed. So I missed a night, that doesn't mean I give up. That doesn't mean it can't be done. That doesn't mean I am going to fall back into the old habit of just leaving it because I figure what's the point anyway? I just take it one step at a time and keep on going!

Rethinking "Tasks for the day"

Hmm, I am wondering if this little list is a good thing or not to share. I may try and just make my list at home each day and not share on here. Not sure. It seems kind of monotonous to just put that I made beds and did laundry every day. But is this what I need to do it every day? Hmm...maybe a weekly summary or something on how I did that week for a while. Will have to try it a few different ways and see. For me, having to get on the computer to type it out tends to end up being a time sucker. I get going on other stuff online I have no business doing at that time of day. So I think I will try a weekly summary and see what happens....

Motivation for cleaning the kitchen

Making smoothies and the boy's lunches in my newly cleaned off counter space is motivation enough to make me want to clean up every counter and flat space in my house! Seriously. It has been so nice being able to just chop fruit and veggies up or get everything out all at once to make their lunches without having to move stuff or take one or two things out at a time. Oh the little things in life.

I am finding the more I enjoy the fruits of my labor the more motivation I am getting to keep going. I have really struggled this last year especially with just not keeping up. I clean when absolutely needed and my house isn't filthy (it's way cluttered and overrun with paper and toys), but I do have a clean freak nature about certain things. I used to never go to bed with a dirty kitchen. It was not spotless, but I would NEVER leave dirty dishes in the sink. It grossed me out.

You see, I grew up in Southeast Texas where they have huge roaches. Those freak me out...and if I ever see one in my house I REALLY freak and start cleaning like a mad woman. But what I learned over the years was it isn't the big ones you have to worry about, those get in from time to time (especially if you live near a bunch of trees), it's the LITTLE ones you should worry about if you see them. Those are the babies, which means that they are living in your house somewhere. Yuck. I just shudder thinking about it. But seriously, that was my sole motivation for never leaving dirty dishes anywhere in my house. Nor eating anywhere except the kitchen and dining areas.

Over the years I have moved, and moved, and moved some more. So the areas we have moved to don't have those pesky little things around really. They have ants instead...like crazy infestations of them (thankfully not fire ants though like in Texas!). So, I still have motivation for keeping my kitchen clean and food confined to eating areas in the house. But my kids don't really get this crazy fear of mine. So trying to teach them why we only eat at the table has been interesting.

All of that to say I have some serious motivation to get back into my old habit of always cleaning the kitchen and wiping everything down at night before heading to bed. It truly doesn't take that much time. I just have to get out of my mindset of being exhausted at the mere sight of my kitchen counters or the kitchen table. The last few weeks I had already started making the boys pick their toys/papers up from the table each day and the week before I started this blog I had started cleaning the kitchen well every night.

Tasks for the day 03/27/13

Two loads of laundry

Made beds

Recipe planning for next week

Goals Take 2

As I have been working around the house I have started noticing all the "goals" I want to make for myself. I am a list person. I thrive off having a checklist to work from. I am a methodical person to say the least. Years ago I read the book Eat That Frog. It was an amazing book for me. It basically tells you to take the task you dread the most eat day and just do it. Get it out of the way. I put that into practice at my job back then and it really did make life at work a wee bit easier each day. Kind of like when you eat dinner you eat in the order of your least favorite and leave your most favorite thing for last (or at least people like me do!).

So, the point is that when I find myself with a list of goals/tasks to get done I tend to get a lot more done than without that list. I am so easily sidetracked so this helps me stay focused and on task. So I have decided I need to keep a running list of things I need to get done. Seeing those crossed off things on a list is an amazing feeling for me. Heck, I have even written something on my to do list that wasn't there but I had done anyway just so I could cross it off! Yes, I am strange like that...but I know I am not alone in that one...

Now I just have to decide if this is going to be a daily, weekly, or monthly kind of thing. Oh wait...I remember when I used to be all organized I had a home binder that had all three of those lists in it. Hmm...may have to resurrect that thing in the near future. For now it is something to ponder a little longer so I will go with my daily lists I have been doing. Focus is the key for me!

Tasks for the day 03/26/13

This morning I had a load of laundry going, the kitchen table cleaned off, dishes put away from breakfast, and even made muffins for breakfast all before taking the boys to school. Yippee!

Yesterday I think I kind of set myself up for failure by the way I did my list, so today I think I am going to make a list of about 3 things that HAVE to be done no matter what, then add one or two items that I would like to accomplish or some kind of general task (like declutter one area for 15 minutes). I am going to have to try and figure out what will work best for me so it may take a few tries!

I did notice yesterday that finishing the boy's rooms was hanging over my head the ENTIRE day. But I had two things come up unexpectedly that took priority. It's those kinds of things that end up getting me in trouble. So I was thinking maybe there will be things I do every day no matter what (kind of like what Nony called non-negotiables).

I think I tend to try and bite off more than I can chew so I am trying to take a step back and think about this logically. I don't want to be too easy on myself and yet I don't want to set myself up for failure either. So one step at a time...and must have patience. If I do more that day then great! But I am not going to be able to just jump in and change everything in a day. It took way longer than a day to break so it will take way longer than a day to fix it!

So my tasks for today are:

Make the beds - Done first thing this morning!

Pay bills -Done!

Clean bathrooms (My ultimate goal is to wipe them down daily so cleaning takes less time...but one step at a time!  This week I am focusing on making the beds every day a habit once again and eventually teaching my boys to make their own.) - So, didn't do this one today but did 3 loads of laundry instead.

Work on paper clutter in one part of the house for at least 15 minutes -

Goals

I have given this a lot of thought since deciding to go on this journey of holding myself accountable. I have gone over and over in my head about what is important to me and how I could possibly accomplish these goals. And then I walk through my house and feel overwhelmed yet again. But I am refusing to allow this to get the better of me. I am determined to make this happen and stick!

So the gal at A Slob Comes Clean gave me lots of wonderful ideas, I just had to figure out what will work for me. I love her Daily Checklists, but is this something I could make myself do every day? Could I get back on the computer and actually do this every day when I have vowed not to be on the computer at night? I decided it was worth a shot. Still not sure what I will actually call mine since I am doing a little different kind of thing than her, but I know it is something I truly want to try and do. It will motivate me to do something. And on more than one occasion as I was reading her blog, she pointed out how she sat to type the checklist out and realized she hadn't done something on it so it motivated her to go and do it. That is what I need...MOTIVATION! So, if I know I am going to have to actually write it down for all the world to see (not that anyone is actually reading this, but that's okay, I know it's out there), then I am going to get it done.

So, that brought me to when to start this...my philosophy...no time like the present! I know, I know, normally I would make all kinds of excuses to start on a Monday. Monday is the best time to do it, it's the beginning of the week and just easier.  Well, if I wait for "easier" than I may as well just give up now before I even get started. Because you know what, next week we are on Spring Break so that is going to be a huge challenge for me having my kids home and trying to get this all accomplished. But you know what...I am going to do it...no...matter...what!

My goal for this next week is to get the kitchen and bathrooms in shape so that I can maintain and not have to start over with a massive cleaning every time I walk in there.

Goals for the day

Laundry - Did 3 loads (2 of those were sheets).

Finish rearranging both boy's rooms - Finished one but not the other, very close though!

Change sheets on all beds - Both boys done!

Declutter kitchen counter near stove - Done! Tooks 20 minutes to finish and so happy to have a spot for making smoothies and lunches!

Make beds - Done!

Menu Plan Monday

I used to plan my menu for the entire week, every week when we were in Indy. It made life so much easier. I stopped for several different reasons and have tried very hard to start again several times. This is one of those things I really do think is important for me to start again. Important enough that I am truly going to focus on it as one of the first things I get back in the habit of doing. And of course, what better way than to hold myself accountable by posting it on my blog! So here goes my first Menu Plan Monday...

Monday - Talapia w/fresh veggies

Tuesday - Sweet & Spicy Bacon Chicken w/sweet potato fries

Wednesday - Roast w/fresh veggies

Thursday - Left overs

Friday - Tacos (I make my own taco seasoning from this recipe and LOVE it!)

Saturday - Lettuce Wraps (this has become my favorite quick meal!)

Sunday - Easter Sunday - no cooking for me!

The other day I had a horrible headache and when my hubby came home from work he ended up making dinner for us and the boys. I felt so guilty about it and a comment he made at dinner when I thanked him stuck with me all this time. I told him thank you and he said "I am used to making 3 meals a day." Well, this really kind of offended me truth be told. He has gone all Paleo on me so yes, he has been making his own meals for the most part. When he started this a month and a half or so ago, I just couldn't get on board with him.

He has gone through so many different phases and I have done everything I could to support him in the past, but this was just more than I had the energy or heart to do. Until now, when I see him actually sticking with it. I want to be supportive, I truly do. So even though I now make sometimes 4  different meals for dinner each night, I am trying. And part of that will entail cutting back making 4 different meals and trying to get it down to something everyone will eat, even if there is just 1 element each person will eat. I can't keep being a short order cook. My kids have issues, and eating for the them can be difficult (yet another post for another day). But that is no excuse as to why we can't figure this out as a family. To make a better effort at eating the same foods. It can happen. I have faith!

Linking up to Menu Plan Monday over at I'm an Organizing Junkie. My first link up since I started blogging years ago. Woo-hoo!

It's all just stuff

I haven't always been this messy. I always had boxes of stuff I needed to go through from each time I moved, but I was never one to have piles and piles of "stuff" everywhere. Somewhere along the way I have just lost myself. Probably in all this clutter! But I do want to go back to my somewhat neat self and get back the person who loved having people over and filling our home with laughter and friends.

I know part of the reason I struggle with this now is the frequency with which we move. It is exhausting packing and unpacking. Finding new places for all our stuff. We went from a 3,000 sq foot home to a 2,200 sq foot home to a now 1,700 sq foot home...all in the span of 3 years. And we still have all the stuff from our 3,000 sq foot house. Boxes and boxes of stuff. I feel ashamed at the fact that I have things from when the boys were 2 and 3 years old in boxes in my garage that my kids hardly (or even not at all) got to use. Wonderful things that could have helped them learn valuable skills while enjoying playing.

And so the cycle begins. I fret over the fact I need to get all that stuff out and either use it or get rid of it or put it away for when they have kids of their own. Then that leads me to thinking of if they ever will even have kids of their own. And that leads to me feeling guilty that I have all this stuff they could have used and yet it still sits in boxes and have for almost 3 years now. And that train of thought leads me back to thinking that I need to get going on cleaning out those boxes and learn to live in the 1,700 sq feet we currently have. And then I start thinking about how we are only renting this place so why should I bother unpacking all this stuff only to have to pack it all back up again because we have been here almost a year so that means in the next six months it will be time to move again because hubby will be tired of his job and so will find a new one and of course it will be in yet another state so why bother. So you see...I can talk my way out of unpacking the boxes. But I don't want to talk my way out of unpacking the boxes anymore. I am tired of the stuff everywhere. Tired. Physically and mentally. So it's now time to do something about the stuff! Step my step, little by little, I will make a difference. I have to make a difference for my own sanity.

My purpose

I stumbled on a great blog while perusing my beloved Pinterest the other day. Man, as much as I love that site it can suck hours of your life from you without you even noticing. But I will say I have done several things from the site I wouldn't have otherwise done, so no complaints on my end!

But I digress...this was supposed to be about my new purpose for my blog.

So, my new purpose for starting to blog again is to hold myself accountable. I honestly don't care if anyone reads my posts, and much like this gal, I kind of hope they won't. After reading the first few months of her blog I realized I am in the exact same boat she was in then. My reasons are very different and I have struggled with how to approach this often.

It was while reading this post about feeling overwhelmed I knew I had to go on this journey in my own life. Even if it is just for my own benefit, putting it in writing is really kind of therapeutic for me and it helps me to feel accountable.

Her fist line of the post was "I am determined to make some progress this week." Oh my, how many times have I said those words to myself or even others for that matter!

You see, I could go into all the excuses as to why my life is in the state it is right now. We moved every two years. My kids are small and they can't seem to part with ANYTHING they have ever received (a post for another day surely!). I always think I will get around to selling it online, having a garage sale, I will re-purpose it or we will actually use it once we either get a new house/organize the one we are in. But the truth is that it just keeps on growing and growing. The stuff. The clutter. It just keeps multiplying. I feel like I am buried at the bottom of everything and every time I try to start digging my way out I have an excuse as to why it just won't happen.

I am getting really tired of excuses. I want to be able to invite people to our home again and not feel ashamed of the state it is in. Right now I would be mortified if anyone rang my doorbell and I would find any excuse not to allow them in. I have never been like this in my life and it is slowly dragging me down. Little by little every day. What is worse to me, is that it is pulling my family down. I know the difference a clean and somewhat organized house makes for my children. They have enough challenges already without clutter adding to the chaos in our lives. So I am determined to make a difference. Determined!

Yet again...

Yes, once again I am going to venture back into the blogging world. Really, this has been something I have missed and yet I knew was time consuming in my life. I would spend hours reading other people's blogs and also writing on mine. But I was documenting my kiddos life so I was okay with it. But as they grew it became more and more difficult to blog. No more naps and all...

And then came the matter of sleep. I realized the value of getting rest and that my body could no longer function on the crazy sleep schedule I kept. When we lived in Indy, I was on Lunesta for an entire year! They just couldn't figure out why I couldn't sleep through the night. When we moved from Indy to NC I took the baby monitor out of our bedroom since the boys' rooms were so much closer to ours and I could hear if they woke. That and they had started coming in our room if they woke anyway. Well, an amazing thing happened...I started sleeping through the night! I attribute it to two things really. First, no baby monitor in my ear. Even turned as low as it could go I guess it still affected my ability to sleep well. And second, I was no longer on the computer at night for hours on end. I came to learn later that I can't be on the computer past about 8:00 pm or I have trouble sleeping that night. What an amazing revelation! One I am thankful to have found, but one that has forced me to give up blogging and my digital scrapping. Two things I love dearly. But I am determined now to find a balance.  I know there is one out there. And posting on a blog keeps me accountable, and that my friends, is something I truly need right now in my life.