Yuck... and a boring post

Yuck.
That's how I feel when one of my kids is sick.
Especially when it's the baby.
He can't say, "Mama, my throat hurts and I want some ice cream."
He can't say, "I just want to go outside and breathe in some fresh air."
He can't tell me, "I'm so tired Mommy that I don't know what I want."
Instead he cries... a lot.
Then I spend hours trying to soothe him. Trying to guess what he wants. What he needs.
So, while I tend to a very uncomfortable, feverish little boy, I am going to publish this not-so-exciting post about up-cycling that I've had sitting in the queue for a while now.
Wish me luck on keeping my sanity and not snapping at anyone while trying to live on about 2 hours of sleep right now.
 

 Up-Cyling: A Quick Tip

I cleaned out my laundry room cabinets recently (more on this in another post) and emptied out this old Play-Dough canister:

 It has a great screw-on lid and I just knew I'd find a good use for it!

So, I cleaned it out real good, took off the labels and set it aside.

A week or so later, I was at one of my favorite toy stores that was having a "going out of business sale" (boo hoo!). They were selling their shopping carts for $2. Again, I just knew I'd find a good use for it!

So, I bought it, cleaned it up, took off the labels and set it aside.

 I re-arranged the playroom toys the other day and found the perfect spot for my "up-cycled" items!

I had a friend of mine make some vinyl labels for them, and voila! New toy containers for next to nothing!

 Don't be so quick to throw out good quality storage items. You just never know what you might be able to use them for!

Time to get organized!

I used to be a professional organizer.

Did you know that?

Well, you might not believe it if you took a peek in some of the dark corners of my house at the moment.

I'm usually very good about keeping the clutter under control, but with a new baby, the holidays, and the daily "busyness" of life, there are a couple areas of the house that were in desperate need of organizing attention!

Fortunately, it's one of my favorite things to do. Seriously.

I love planning out an area to organize. Going to the store and buying bins, containers, drawers, etc. and then... you guessed it... busting out my label maker!

Today's project: under the bathroom sink.

This can be a tricky area due to pipes, weird spacing issues, and lots of items to store that you don't use on a daily basis.

Here are some before pictures (I'm being seriously vulnerable and open here people, so please don't judge my messiness).

Front view:

 Left side (yikes!):

 Right side (double yikes!):

Off to the store I went! And I came back with these:

 First, I emptied out the cabinet. Then thoroughly cleaned it. Then I lined it with some shelf liner so the drawers wouldn't slide around.

 Then I sorted everything into piles (hair stuff, lotion, travel items, etc.) and tossed a lot of junk. Then planned out the most functional way to put everything back so that the items I use on a daily basis are easily accessible, while the things I rarely use (like my travel hair dryer) got stored way behind everything.

Ready for the finished product???

TA-DA!

Here's the breakdown:

Right side:

I corralled all of my "everyday" hair tools into one basket that I can easily access right in front, along with my zippered makeup bag.

To the left of the basket is my jewelry cleaner (red container) and a bottle of glass cleaner and a roll of paper towels. Behind it is a lot of empty space (which I love!) and a refill bottle of hand soap and a ring holder.

[Side note: Why the cleaner & paper towels under the sink? One of my favorite bloggers did a post about how she keeps her house clean (she has 5 kids!) and she said she keeps a bottle of glass cleaner and a roll of paper towels under each sink so she can quickly clean the sink area & mirrors anytime they need it. It's a great post. Read it here if you get a chance.]

I also installed a hook on the door to store my hair dryer. It's a great way to maximize space!

Here's the left side:

Yeah, baby! I got to use the label maker! Of course it made me realize that I may be a little obsessed about my hair seeing as I have 3 drawers dedicated to "hair" items.

There are the 2 stackable 3-drawer systems that house all of the loose items that were in the basket before. And there was even enough room to store my travel case on top!

Now everything has a place, it's easy to find things, and it looks clean! I love it!

Total cost:  $18.50

Next up... the medicine cabinet.

Sunday Nights - Time to get Organized!

I have a few friends who remember me from back when I had my own organizing business. They often ask me things like, "How do you keep your home organized?" or "What do you to do plan out your meals?" or "How do you have time to blog?" or "When do you clean your house, in what order, and when do you do laundry?" 
So, I figured I would dedicate a post solely to answering some of those questions. Because, whether we want to admit it or not, all of us moms are looking for ways to be more efficient with our time so that we can possibly carve out just a few minutes to sit down and relax! :)
This post could be several pages long, but I'm not going to go into much detail. Basically, what I want to share with you is what my life looks like on a typical Sunday night.

To back-up a bit, our Sunday mornings can get a little hectic. Both Brian and I serve at our church every week, which generally requires us to be there from 8:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. most Sundays. So, once we're home... we're home for good! We don't run errands on Sundays, we really try not to go to the grocery store, and for the most part, we don't even socialize much on Sundays. We hunker down and enjoy some quiet family time (which often involves a walk up to Starbucks).
After spending the entire afternoon together, we get the boys to bed pretty early in anticipation of another busy week starting up in the morning. Tonight, Parker was in bed by 5:30 and Payton by 7 p.m. Once they are in bed, Brian and I go our separate ways. It sounds funny, but it's kind of true. Most nights, we sit side-by-side on the couch or in bed and watch our shows. But Sunday nights, he goes to his desk and does work, and I get down to business!

First off... I get all of the dirty laundry together and throw in a load of wash. While it starts running, I get out my calendar and look at what is coming up during the week. If I need to email people about plans, babysitting, volunteering, etc. I do it then.
Second, I use the calendar to make up my meal plan for the week. I have a tear-off menu meal-planning pad that has the days of the week listed on one side, and a shopping list on the other. I write down anything that is going on in the evenings so I know whether I need to do a crock-pot meal, or something quick like sandwiches. 
Third, I then look in the pantry and freezers to figure out what I already have on hand for meals and then cross-reference that with what is on sale at Publix (I view their weekly ad online every Sunday evening). Then I go through my coupons and make up my shopping list.
I go grocery shopping every Monday morning. EVERY. MONDAY. MORNING. I do not deviate from this as it helps me plan out the meals for the entire week, and in general, Publix is very quiet and not crowded on Monday mornings.
While I'm doing all of this meal planning, I am continually taking clothes out of the washer and putting them into the dryer, and then folding as the loads are done. I try to get all of the laundry washed, dried and folded Sunday night so I don't have to think about it on Monday morning.
After the meal planning is complete, then I do some light cleaning. I tidy up all the toys, dust the family room furniture, run the Swiffer over the floors and run the dishwasher. This takes maybe 15 minutes total.
After that, I get started on my "daily evening routine" which includes, making Payton's lunch, setting up the coffee for the morning, setting out all the vitamins, dog meds, etc. and cleaning off all the kitchen counters/sink, etc.
When all of that is complete, I feel like I can really relax and do what I want to do... which is usually email, blog, surf Pinterest, read magazines, etc. And I don't feel guilty about it! I know that I've done what I need to do so that my Monday will go as smoothly as possible and I can truly relax.
So, in summary, here's a list - in order - of what I do on Sunday nights starting at about 7 p.m.:
1. Collect laundry and start first load
2. Look over calendar for the week, send out any important/urgent emails pertaining to schedule
3. Create meal plan for the week
4. Check pantry, freezer, coupons & Publix ad to create shopping list
5. Continue with laundry as loads are done washing, drying, etc. Fold along the way as well!
6. Tidy up playroom/family room. Dust tables, vacuum floors.
7. Make lunch, coffee, clean kitchen counters, sink, run dishwasher.
8. RELAX!!! :)
It may sound like a lot for Sunday evening, but trust me, if you can get even some of these things done, you will feel like you are ready to face Monday with a smile! It will get your week off to such a great start knowing your laundry is done, your meals are planned, and you got a little "me time" to relax and re-group.
I hope this helps at least one person out there. Love ya'll!