CHAOS is possibly over?!?

Outside of having jacked up coffee (and not in a good way. I added to much sugar, and its kinda gross. But I will just suck it up, and enjoy the sugar buzz for what it's worth) I am having a fanfreaking wonderful day.


Why? Well because last night I buried myself in Tupperware. LOTS o' Tupperware. Seriously, I had it covering over half my kitchen floor! Either way it's been organized, and is put away nicely (the cabinet was getting to the point where you just openthedoorfast and fling in the Tupperware slam the door hoping it won't all avalanche out.


I realized my Tupperware also multiplies like dirty rabbits, I ended up recycling a HUGE garbage bag of Tupperware. Yes I had that much and I STILL have plenty to use.


Got excited then I organized the pots and pans and my baking dishes, and in the process I realized I had a cabinet full of a bunch of nothing important. After organizing and shuffling around. I was able to make it my small appliance cabinet. SO now my George Forman grill, my omelet maker, my toast, toaster oven, and blender are all tucked away. Right were I can grab them easily, but not all over my counter! Hooray!!


AND great news, I know this is a freaking exciting post there, but it needs to get out of my head. I am 4 days shiny!!


That means that I have washed my dishes and kept my kitchen sink clean for 4 days in a row. Flylady would be SO proud! Each night I go to bed with a clean sink, and make my coffee for the next day. At first it was weird waking up to a clean kitchen, but now it's almost addicting.


Sounds crazy? I know some of you are OCD and LOVE to have a clean and organized home, I just COULD not get my shit together. Well readers, I have gotten my shiznit together, and wala! I have a love for keeping my house clean.


Don't worry it's not only the kitchen. I make my bed every day, and clean up the bathroom, I have been good about NO laundry on the floor, I am trying to keep up with folding. It's clean, just 4 baskets to fold still.


I am in love with this house, and getting it together, seems to be fun if I make it that way. So thanks to all the books, I have read on organizing, and websites I have been following on purging and organizing. It has taken me a year and a month, to really get it all to sink in.


So no, it's not just lazy like I thought. It's a mental process of understanding your home, and your role in it. And having less stuff makes it so much more.


I have noticed that it makes Spaghetti happier, and I am less stressed around the kids, and I have free time to play with the kids. AND I can actually have people over, and it's not CHAOS. (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) I know, I know, again it sounds silly, but this is what SO many people deal with. And now I think I can beat it, and have a nice house.


Well I am off to organize my hall closet, purge some coats (there is a coat drive at Jewel foods) and clean my ceiling fans (I finally stopped them. Eww...) Oh and maybe fold some laundry. Maybe...

Nagging clutter beware!!

This is an email I received from my mom today. II thought it was good and would share. And true about the way you feel about a cluttered home. Enjoy!


Well, it's still January - so let's not let that New Year's inspiration get away from us.
Decluttering requires inspiration. And this is the very best time of year for inspiration.

Clutter is a tough battle - but one that you can indeed win. And it's well worth winning... ...because Clutter makes people MISERABLE. And I'm here to tell you that:

1. Most people have a clutter problem
2. Many people have a clutter problem that is MUCH worse than YOURS. (You can enjoy a wee smug moment, I won't tell a living soul...)

Need a reason to declutter?

Okay, at the risk of trampling on some toes, here goes:

Your children.
You want them to grow up with good memories of house and home and family, of course... and one thing I love about children is that they tend to look at the positive interpretations of their parents' behavior, including the clutter. Ya gotta love them for that. But they too like having an orderly home - very, very much.
They want to be able to bring their friends home and not worry about how the house looks. I know some readers' kids are already grown, but we still care about how our home looks when someone comes over!

Here's one more reason to declutter for your children - no matter how old they are (if you have kids; if not, then for your loved ones)...

YOUR MOOD...

Your general disposition and outlook. This certainly affects the happiness of everyone around you. (You know the saying "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." So true!)

If you are surrounded by nagging clutter, you are going to feel powerless and irritated. (that is SO me!!!)
But if you make inroads into conquering that clutter, you are going to feel great.

Keep at it - don't give up. Every step you take is gravy for your decluttering project.

Declutering is empowering and healthy. It's a positive act.

It can lighten your load and the load of those around you.

Happy reading and decluttering!
With love,
Mimi Tanner
Author of Declutter Fast - How to Get Your Home In Order
http://www.declutterfast.com

It's true the nagging clutter, the stuff everywhere, and the shuffle I do to try and get it cleaned up is depressing and annoying me. I know Spaghetti is VERY annoyed with it. I am in the process of baggin it up, and getting it out the door.

Right now Spaghetti and I have an agreement. That he will give up his garage space for me to put everything going for the garage sale in May. (I would just donate it, or toss it (believe me ALOT is being tossed) but there is TOO much money here. I could probably rake in about $200 bucks for this stuff) I seriously need to crack down. Room to room, and work.

This week was the kitchen cabinets. (I have 6 sauce pans? Really I need at most 2) I am SO cutting back on all the stuff! TO MUCH!!

Anyone else neck deep in crap?

My big ideas for 2009

Happy New Years Eve! As I sit in my cluttered home on the eve of a new year, 2009 holds promise for a new me, and a new home plan for us here.





So here it is. The big list. The list of things I am going to do, or not do, in this fantabulous new year. A year of projects and goals set just for me. I am not going to set out goals or projects that I don't think I can reach. But these are more guide lines for a better life. Starting tomorrow.

Eat better. Shocker right? Who doesn't have this one on there list. (one year I had it to NOT eat good. Go against the flow, worked well. I now have 28 extra pound due to that brilliant idea) Sparkpeople here I come. I am registered there. My Iowa friend says it worked great when she stuck to it. It's more of meal plan, and daily check in.

I know, I know, who's going to keep up with checking in everyday online? Well. Me. I want to try. It's really cool, and FREE, you can track your weight, size, and you get to choose what you want to eat off there menu. (I by the way will be starting this on January 12th, because of my Scrapbook getaway on the 9-11th, will be my last big weekend, until then I have planning to do)

Spaghetti and I need, and I mean NEED someone to tell us what to eat. That mixed with some working out, should do me some good this year.

Yes I said it. Working out. And not the gym like I have done before. I need something to work around being home with the kids. So there is some free Yoga and work out shows On Demand, so I can always go watch those. I actually have a goal of getting up before everyone else, doing morning yoga, drinking my coffee, and having everything perfect each morning. (did you just snort your beverage of choice out your nose too?) I know the hardest part will be getting up, so I need to start with my night routine (Flylady) and go to bed early! (like 10 pm early!)

I can't be negative or put down my ideas before I even try them. There will be many days where this won't work, but the days I have gotten up at 6:30 I am up before everyone, I get the dishwasher emptied, and thing set for the day. Now if I can just toss in some Yoga, what a great way to start my day!

I also would like to walk with the kids, and or dogs more. I have a HUGE neighborhood, and I could walk with the big double stroller. I want to set up Spaghetti's weight bench and we could both work out. I have some 3 and 5 lb weights to work with. Nothing crazy. But to tone my ever so jello like figure.

Budget. I do budget. I could always do better at this. And now with the taxes not being paid through our monthly mortgage payments, I seriously need to watch money. But we can breath better with things like this.

Scrapbook more. You need to make the time, and as much as I love to scrapbook, and take pictures, I need to use what I have and keep up with all my great ideas brewing in my head!

Take care of myself. Kinda goes along with the whole eat better, and work out plan, but I need to floss, and brush my teeth more, I need to just take the time and wash my face and put on lotion everyday (this pretty young face ain't gettin' any younger!)

Organize. Hee hee. Again on everyone's list. I started a HUGE project back in August to organize, and purge my house. I have LOTS of crap around here, and finding homes for it all is a bit time consuming, but that is why I started the "Where do I begin" blog, to keep track of what is going on, and how I am getting there.

We just have to much clutter, and stuff, and clutter, and gah, just everything here is to much. It drives me nuts but especially Spaghetti. I hate for him to be annoyed by the house he barely gets to spend time in. (and just so you know, I took over 100 lbs worth of clothes and house hold items to donate in December! Fly lady has you weigh your clutter, I lost 100 lbs in a month!)

I guess on the organize idea, I want to be able to walk out of the house, just grabbing a few things and go. Not the whole up stairs for a sippy, down the stairs for a blankie, up the stai... oh wait grab this real quick... now where was I going? Oh shit were SO late for this event! Yep that is our routine. By then Spaghetti is sitting in the car with Bagel and Weaky, while I do the crazy circle dance in the kitchen, listing out loud the items I have and need for a simple day out. So if I could plan ahead, or have a diaper bag just ready to go would be smart.

Emergency plan. Seriously with the two little ones, and my dogs, and my cats, if there was an emergency I would need to whisk everyone out the door, into the truck in minutes flat. I would want to have everything saved from our home, but realistically that won't happen. I do need to check and update the fire safe, be sure the picture CD's are easy to grab (in a file box on my desk) and have a emergency bag for all of us.

May sound a bit much. But when Bagel was 7 months old, the Carbon Monoxide detectors went off in the middle of the night, I called 911 and they came in all suited with special outfits and breathing gear, as they read our numbers (not sure what they were) but we needed to get everyone out. Now.

The dogs were let outside, and Bagel and myself went across the street to a neighbors house. After a few hours, we went back home, gathered up what we needed for the night, packed up cats, dogs, myself and Bagel and we went to my parents house. (before Weaky's time, and Spaghetti was working nights) We were able to go back the next day, the found it was our stove (only 4 years old!) had a leak in it. The levels were very high and dangerous.

I didn't have a getaway bag then, like I should, and especially with two kids, and all the pets, I need to be responsible and be ready for anything.

Business plan. As always I love my Stampin' Up! business and I want to keep working at improving my classes, and ideas for my customers. Stampin' Up! is the kind of company that always makes it super easy to do this. They have TONS of ideas, and tools to make this possible. And on that note, I need to track my expenses better for taxes!

Laundry.

I know. Laugh. No really. It's funny if you know me. If you know I STILL have 9 bags of laundry in Weakys closet from the people-are-coming-over-shove-all-the-clothes-in-garbage-bags-deal-with-them-later.

Riiiiiiiiggghhhtttt. Later as in when we are naked from the shower, have nothing to wear, and still need to do the spin around the kitchen dance to get everything to go?

So with Laundry comes the process of doing laundry before it is covering the WHOLE bathroom floor, spilling out of the laundry basket.

After washing it, put it in the dryer.

After drying the laundry, using the hanging rack and hangers in the basement, ACTUALLY use it to hang clothes. Take the laundry up stairs and PUT IT AWAY. No really away, dumping it onto the bedroom floor is not where it belongs.

I do need to purge and get rid of a TON of my clothes, I don't wear or fit into 80% (obviously the 9 bags in the closet) AND maybe if I can get my laundry shit together, I could actually iron, and put together outfits for Spaghetti to wear to work? Maybe? Let's just start with the knee deep laundry covering my bedroom floor, and the 9 bags still in Weaky's closet.

PICK UP AFTER MYSELF. No really, I suck SO bad at this. I can't leave an area with out making a mess, and leaving it there. I really have to out loud tell myself to clean up when I am done. It's a bit much but I am realizing I am a HUGE factor in the constant mess around here.

Any other ideas? I know it's alot to do, alot to change, but it's all real, and doable. I can get up early, do yoga, have things together, keep up with laundry, keep up with myself, and the kids, take care of myself and pets better, walk with the kids, eat better, feed my family better, run a better business, all while making time to scrapbook, read, and just stare at the wall.

Sure it's possible. I can do this. How? Because I believe in myself to do better for myself and my family. It may be the same speech we are all giving ourselves, but I need to do this for a happier family life for us Mc's.

Happy New Year everyone, may 2009 be a more organized and healthy year for all of us!

Manic Monday on Wednesday

Have you ever returned an item to a store for a refund after having used it?

Yes, because I used it, it was broken, and I didn't realize it until after I was using it. I also got crazy, and the toaster we got as a wedding gift, crapped out on us after about 7 months, of coarse I didn't have the reciept, so I went and bought a new one. (still the same model) then returned the old crapped out one (yes used for 7 months) with the new one's reciept. Shit yeah I did. Don't be bitter because you didn't think of it.



You are going out for the evening. If your partner objects to what you are wearing, would you change your clothing?

Yes and no. Yes I would now, but no, back when I was a skinny little thing, I would wear some pretty skimpy stuff. But only when I was out with my Spaghetti. Now I would change, even if I was a skinny little thing again.



What item that you don’t currently possess would you most like to have in your home?

Really? Just one item? Because just one item is kinda hard. I mean I want a lot of things. I would like a new CPU for the main computer, it says Dell, but who knows how much is really original, we have had the beast worked on SO many times (bought it 6 years ago!) I would also like a laptop for me. So I could go wireless down to my art room.

I think my garage is still "in my home" so a mini van, or something that would seat 7, something less then a decade old too. Oh and maybe if it would growl when it ran. Yes the car Spaghetti drives is 12 and the SUV we drive is 11 (yikes!) we are SO on the last leg, on both. With the mortgage and the escrow being separated, we have more $ so a car payment is in the future, but we have some medical bills and credit cards we are working on right now... (please last us... please last us...)

I would love to get Spaghetti his own iPod, he loves mine, and it has TONS of space on it, so we share it.

We talk about getting a new flat screen t.v. for our bed room. Nothing huge, maybe 19" and so we can get On Demand like all the other t.v.'s in the house would be nice. I do have to say, I got the t.v. VCR combo that is in our room now, for Christmas when I was 18, that is a 12 year old t.v.! Maybe move it to the art room. Use the VCR for old movies for the kids?

I would LOVE, love, love, to get money to buy the decking and have my dad finish the deck to wrap around the pool. But I don't see that happening until I go back to work... 5 years...

A new bed set. Not bed, but comforter and for gods sake paint the room. It's still drywall white.

And as always, since I am in dream land. We should go big. Here is the big items... lets say we Mc's win some money, not enough to go off and rebuild, but enough to pimp out the current dwelling.

I wanna raise the roof (over the sports/pool table room) is a vaulted ceiling. I would finish off the second floor, making a HUGE master suite, with a jacuzzi tub, steam shower with double heads, and seating, separate crapper, have a walk in closet, and washer and dryer hauled up two flights of stairs, and have it on the second floor, where it belongs. (assholes, put it 2 floors down, at the other end of the fucking basement. From the bathroom where the basket starts. To the washer itself, is down the hall, down the stairs, turn, down the hall, through the kitchen, down the stairs, turn, through the t.v. room, into the art room, and in the back corner is the damn washer and dryer. THE FURTHEST AWAY FROM THE CLOTHES it could possibly be.)

But that is champagne dreams with Boone's farm monies.

Oh and I would landscape like crazy...