Operation Organization - Week 5

Wow! We're halfway through Operation Organization hosted by Melinda at Coming Clean. I am loving the progress that I see happening in my own house and am so thankful for the support that I feel from all of you. Walking through or past the areas of my house that I've already conquered makes me smile! I'm happy to report that things are staying the way I left them at the end of their appointed week - it's so much easier to maintain. My husband is definitely noticing the changes too and has been so encouraging. I love feeling like I've made a difference. This past week I tackled our upstairs landing/desk area and tided up my little "desk" in the corner of the living room. For my "before" pictures click here. I love walking through the upstairs now (which I do frequently since my boys' rooms are upstairs) and seeing all the open space. I know that I'm going to have to be more diligent about keeping this area uncluttered. It's such an easy place to drop stuff when you're on the go. But hopefully having these "after" pictures to look at will be motivation enough.

This week my goal is to tackle/tame the toys! I don't have any before pictures, just take my word for it - we need some organization and help! Let me set the stage: my oldest son is 2 1/2 and my youngest is almost 5 months old. They are the first and only grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and nephews in our family. (My husband and I are both the oldest and our sisters aren't married.) You can only imagine the multitude of things that we have. I'd love to get a rotational system started and make it easier for my sons to put their own things away when they're done.

Head on over to Parenting Confessions and link up your own organizational challenge and encourage the other participants!

Operation Organization - Week 4

Time again to check in on our progress for Operation Organization. This past week I tackled my laundry room and hall closet. Neither was very bad, but there were several things that needed to be taken care of in each area. I still need to do some deep cleaning in these areas, but at least the bulk of the clutter is gone! For "Before" pictures click here, or scroll down to Week 3. Here are the "After" pictures. I'm hopeful that we'll be able to keep it looking this good, and maybe even better!

This week my goal is the "desk" areas in our house. We have a table that serves as a desk upstairs on our landing and it and the surrounding area have become landing zones for all kinds of things. Also, I have a little corner in our living room where I keep my laptop and various bits of paperwork that needs some tidying up. Here are the "Before" pictures:

Now, head over to Melinda's blog and link up your own organizational challenge and visit the other Operation Organization participants. Let's keep encouraging each other!!

Works for Me Wednesday - Hanging Baby Clothes

It's time again for "Works for Me Wednesday" hosted by Kristen at We Are That Family. This week my tip is one that was given to me before the birth of my first son. Most new moms are inundated with new clothes for their new bundle of joy. In my experience most of these clothes are size newborn or 0-3 months. Most babies grow so quickly those first few months that often clothes only get worn once or twice before they are outgrown. In an attempt to make sure that every outfit gets worn at least once, my tip is to hang everything up by size/length. Now, you have to be careful here, because baby clothes sizes are far from standard. What is a 0-3 in one brand may be the same as a 3-6 in another. In addition, there is often great discrepancy in size even in the same brand. (I know I had several sets of onesies that came together, were the same brand, were marked the same size, and yet differed by as much as 1 1/2 inches in length.) So, after you've washed and dried the new clothes measure them against each other and hang them from shortest to longest in the closet. Then you'll be able to make sure you get to everything, instead of reaching for a new outfit, only to find that it's already too short!

For more great tips, head over to Works for Me Wednesday at We Are That Family!

Operation Organization - Week 3

Well, we've made it through 2 weeks of the Operation Organization Challenge over at Coming Clean. I'm so excited about the progress that I've made and am motivated to keep getting things done! Last week my goal was to organize our master closet. I'm so pleased with the result and my husband is loving it too! I packed away all of my maternity clothes (my son is 4 months old now) and weeded out a trash bag full of clothes that I no longer wear to bless someone else. (Now, if I could just get my husband to do the same...) Here are the "After" pictures - to see the "Before" pics click here or scroll down to Week 2.

This week my goal is to tackle our hall closet and the laundry room. They probably won't have the biggest impact, but they've been on my to-do list for quite awhile now and it will be wonderful to have that done. Here are this week's "before" pictures.

Hall closet (under stairs)

Top of washer/dryer and shelves above

Bench area (inside garage door)
Opposite wall (catch-all)

Now, head over to Melinda's blog and check out the other posts and link up your own organizational challenge.

Operation Organization - Week 2

Last week was the beginning of Operation Organization at Coming Clean (click on the picture above for more information or to join us). For the next 7 weeks we'll be tackling one area at a time to try to restore some order in our lives and our homes. Last week I tackled the kitchen counter catch-all. I'm really proud of myself and so pleased with the result. It makes me smile each time I walk by!! (To see the "Before" pictures click here or scroll down to Week 1)

Now, onto the next area! This week my goal is to organize our master closet. The closet isn't in the worst shape, but we've definitely let it slide. I know that it will be a blessing to my husband to have an organized space to walk into and it won't hurt my feelings at all either! Now, here are the "before" pictures.

Head on over to Coming Clean and link up your own organizational challenge! Let's cheer each other on!!!

WFMW - Back to School Edition

Welcome to Works for Me Wednesday, hosted by Kristen at We Are That Family. This week is a themed week with lots of great back to school ideas. My boys are too young for school, but as a former kindergarten teacher I wanted to share a tip. Take advantage of all the great back-to-school sales and stock up on extra supplies!! By the middle of the school year crayons are broken and worn down, glue sticks have dried out, pencils are getting used up, etc. So, double up on a few of the consumable supplies from the supply list and store them away for a few months (just don't forget where you put them!). You (and your student and their teacher) will be glad you did!!! (School supplies also make a great teacher gift - many teachers have to use their own money to fill the gaps.)

Operation Organization - Week 1

I'm a little late joining in the fun at Coming Clean, but I'm ready to jump in and get stuff done!! With 2 little boys, it's sometimes hard to find the motivation/time to get stuff done around the house, even though I know it will make our lives so much better once it's done. I'm going to take this opportunity to join with the rest of you to bite off one small area each week. Hopefully taking the small steps will start us off on a path that leads to greater things! My goal for this week is to tackle the catch-all area in the kitchen. It's a small counter area by our phone and seems to be the place that things that we just don't quite know what to do with end up (and stay for an extended amount of time). I'd like for it to be a home base area for family organization and a place to stash things that I need to deal with, but can't at the moment (with a plan for follow-up). Here is my "before" pictures, hopefully I'll have "after" pictures soon! If you want to join the mission for organization check out Melinda's blog for details.

A place for me...

I started this new blog as a place for me to join in the Internet/blogging community, without having to share the personal parts of our life. I will continue to maintain our family blog as a place to share pictures and stories of the boys and a place for our far away family to get their "fix." I'm not sure how often I'll post stuff here, but at least I have a place to start. Join me on the journey to find community through our computers.