Happy New Year!

I sort of took a several week long break from blogging. I seem to be doing that a lot lately.  I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. It was fun having the kids home for 2 weeks but it was also nice putting them on the bus this morning. It is much easier to keep my house clean when they are at school most of the day. I need to get used to keeping my house clean and picked up...I mean really clean and picked up. We are preparing to put our house on the market. It is a lot of work. The sad thing about it is I'm finally getting my house the way I have wanted it for the last 3 years.

This makes me think about one of my New Years Resolutions. I have the same I think every year. Every year I think "this year is going to be different, I'm going to really do it right" and every year I fail. I have some motivators this year. One of my resolutions is to get organized. Nothing like trying to sell your house to get you organized right? So, The Doctor and I have been going through everything and deciding: keep, sell, or thrash. I find it is much easier to get rid of things I have been holding onto with this move because we are moving to Alaska. Now the items have the potential of costing me more money to move them around since we will be charged by the space we take up when we move.

It is freeing to be getting rid of so much stuff. I love moving for the fact that I get to reorganize a brand new space but I hate it for all the work it is to get out of the old.  What is it you like or dislike about moving?

Clean Your Room

Do you find yourself, like me, constantly telling your kids "clean your room"? My children's rooms tend to always be in disarray. We spend a good portion of a Saturday morning cleaning their rooms and by Tuesday they are a complete disaster again. I have some kiddos who think that as soon as they get tucked in to bed and the door is closed it is play time. I walk in their room in the morning and it looks like the toy box threw up. KMae is in the wonderful phase of changing her clothes 5 times a day so there are piles of clothes. Or, maybe the dresser took a look at what the toy box was doing and had a gag reflex.

Why oh why can't my kids clean up their room? Oh, do you think it could be because their mamma's room reassembles the after math of a Texas Twister? I try to keep my room clean, I really do but in the process of cleaning up the rest of the house my bedroom becomes the dumping ground. There are boxes filled with things that need to be "put away" lining the perimeter of my bedroom. In the mad dash to get the downstairs looking de-cluttered and clean I pile things in boxes and haul them up to my room. The reason my room is so lucky is because it is generally "off limits" when people come over. I'll even lock the door so people don't "accidentally" wander into it.

Alas, my husband is attempting to clean up on his own and I'm down here writing about it. I suppose I should go and help out. After all, my parents are coming to visit next week and I don't want to her my mom say "go clean your room!"

Just 10 Minutes

I don't like cleaning all day. I'm sure I could do it if I really wanted to but I don't. Sometimes I'm so busy making sure my downstairs is clean that my upstairs gets completely neglected and looks like a tornado has been through it. It is to the point of driving me crazy but I don't know where to begin so I have come up with a plan. I'm going to set the time for 10 minutes and work on one room for 10 minutes. When the timer goes off I will move onto the next room and so on until I have worked in each room. If I feel like cleaning more I will continue. If not, I will do it again the next day. Eventually my upstairs will be clean and it will be easier to maintain with just 10 minutes a day per room.

Problem Solved

We are out growing our house but have to stay in it for at least 10 more months. Na gets to share a room with her 2 little sisters. The girls bedroom is pretty large. So there is plenty of room for their beds plus, a dresser, book shelves, toys, and a place to play with all the toys. There is one problem with all of these girls with different personalities and at different stages in life sharing a room. At least a problem for Na. She is at a point where she has her "special" things and her little sisters get into them and destroy them. She doesn't have a place of her own.

This last weekend we gave her a safe place for her things. The bedroom closet is hers. We switched doorknobs with one that has a lock and key. She now has the ability to lock her closet and keep her stuff safe. I have a key too just in case she loses hers or so I can get in there if needs be. This will work until we move next year to a bigger house where she will finally be granted her own room.

Organizing your Recipes

Tired of searching through dozens of cookbooks for that one recipe you liked so well? Put an end to searching by creating your own master cookbook.

Start by going through each cookbook you own and record each recipe you like to make. Type them into the computer and save them under categories like appetizers, desserts, main dishes, and so on. You can even add clip art or your own pictures if you choose. Once you have all of your recipes typed up then print them off. Place each page in a plastic sheet protector and then in a 3 ring binder. Add several extra sheet protectors to the binder for new recipes you will find. Now all you have to do is keep your binder of recipes in the kitchen and when you find a new recipe add it to the book.

Creating your own master cookbook will not only save you time, it will also save you space from storing all of the cookbooks you own but only use a couple of recipes from. The next time you are going on a trip where you will be cooking you just need to grab your binder and you have all of your recipes with you.

Managing Housework

Face it, housework is one of those things that is never done. Once you complete one task it is on to another while all of the work you just completed is being undone by someone else in the house. There are methods of doing housework which make it so you aren't cleaning every second of everyday. Here is one such method.

Begin by listing all of the tasks that need to be done on a daily basis. This list should include but is not limited to: Wash dishes, sweep kitchen floor, make bed, tidy bedrooms, and tidy family/living rooms.

Now list things that need to be done on a regular basis (every couple of days or once a week) like vacuum floors, mop floors, dust, laundry, clean bathrooms, deep clean kitchen, etc.

Once you have your housework listed in those two groups it is time to divide the housework up among the days of the week. You have your daily chores and those never change but now you need to assign the "regular" jobs a day of the week. For example:

Monday: Deep clean kitchen, mop kitchen floor, washes kitchen rags.
Tuesday: Wash kids laundry, vacuum
Wednesday: Wash adult’s laundry, mop
Thursday: Dust, go grocery shopping and run errands, vacuum floors
Friday: Clean bathrooms, wash bath towels and sort through papers.
Saturday: Clean bedrooms, wash bed linens
Sunday: Enjoy the day off.

You may have more or less tasks to assign depending on your household. Now, the key to having time for you is only doing the assigned task on the assigned day. You must complete the everyday jobs before you move onto the assigned day jobs. Some days you might not be able to complete all of the assigned day jobs due to illness or other unexpected events. If this is the case, don't play catch up on another day; wait until the day rolls around again or until you have extra time you don't mind using. When you feel comfortable, start adding in the monthly tasks (tasks done once a month), quarterly tasks (things done every 3 months), bi-annually tasks, and tasks done once a year. Once you get into a rhythm you will find it easier to maintain your home.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

Declutter and Organizing your Home

How a home looks on the inside is often a reflection of how the owner feels about themselves. De cluttering and organizing your home may be a daunting task but as you work through it you will feel better about yourself and your home. Here are some tips for getting started.

Do you have a room or a closet which the door always remains closed and if a friend opened the door you would be mortified by what they would see? You are not alone. It doesn't have to be this way. Start with this room or closet within this room. Start small and pick a corner of the room and start there. Pick up something and make one of three choices: keep, give away/sell, or trash. Create three piles.

• Keep-Items to keep are items which you use often and they have a purpose.
• Give Away-Items to sell or give away are items which still work and someone else could find a use for. Sell the item in a garage sale or donate it to a charity.
• Trash-Items to trash are items which are broken (that you will never fix), no longer have a purpose, or just plain garbage. You would be surprised at how much paper you can accumulate.
  
  If you have the ability to do the entire room in one day great. If not, work on a section each day until the task is complete. Once you complete this room move onto the next until eventually you have cut back on the clutter through out your house.
  

Don't let it get so bad that you loose control and end up on a show like this.

Grocery Shop Efficiently

Try and shop at the same store each time you go shopping. By doing this you will become very familiar with the store and where the items you buy most are located. This saves time while shopping. The other way to save time is by creating a grocery shopping list that is in the order of the store layout. We all have patterns when we go shopping so make our lists in order of your pattern. If you usually get produce first then have the produced grouped together at the top. Group the items together that are in the same aisle and location of the store. This will help you shop more efficiently.

What are some other ways you shop more efficiently?

Tips for Tackling Laundry

Laundry is one of those things that never goes away. I know that if I get behind it is almost impossible to catch up. The hardest thing for me is finishing the job. By finishing I mean all of the clean clothes are folded and put away. I can get the clothes clean and folded it is the last step of putting away that gets me almost every time. There are 2 ways of doing laundry, you can have a marathon day where all you do is load after load or assign different days for different loads. I personally have a hard time finishing with the marathon day but my sister prefers this way. I prefer to split up laundry throughout the week. Typically, if I'm on top of things, my laundry days look like this:

Mondays- wash the kitchen rags and towels
Tuesdays- wash the kids colors
Wednesdays- wash the adult colors
Thursdays- no laundry because this is my errand day.
Fridays- wash the whites
Saturday- wash the bath towels and rugs.
Sunday- day off.

It doesn't matter how you choose to do your laundry but here are some tips everyone could use.
Laundry baskets- make sure everyone has their own basket for putting dirty clothes in. They also help for putting folded laundry in to carry to the rooms. My kids all share one that is in a central location of the bathroom since that is where most of the clothes end up. My husband and I have 2 baskets in our bathroom, one for colors and one for whites.

Have a basket or bucket in the laundry room for wet items or items to be washed soon. I have a bucket for the rags and a mesh basket for the clothes that inevitably end up downstairs.

Have shelves above the washer and dryer to hold laundry items like soap, fabric softener, and stain remover.

Have a place to hang up clothes that go on hangers immediately after they get out of the dryer. I have an over the door clothes hook.

Create a space to fold laundry and fold it as soon as it comes out of the dryer, this prevents too many wrinkles from forming.

Most importantly, FINISH the laundry by putting it away immediately.
I will have a post next week about stain removers that work. If you have any great ones please let me know.

New Year New Resolutions

It's a new year so you have new resolutions right? Well, if you are me the only thing true about that statement is, it's a new year. My resolutions are still the same as they were last year. That is because I didn't quite achieve all of my resolutions. In fact, the only one I remember is my resolution to lose weight and that is because it is the same every year because I fail miserably every year. This year is going to be different I just know it. It is going to be a great year. I have two big milestones in my life to look forward too, I'm turning 30 and celebrating my ten year anniversary married to the love of my life. I wish the Black Eyed Peas would change the lyrics of their song I Gotta a Feelin to "this year is gonna be a good year". If you are like me you need some tips on having resolutions you can stick to so, here are a few tips for creating New Year Resolutions that you can keep.

The first thing you want to do is choose obtainable resolutions. If your resolution is to run a 5 minute mile and you are extremely overweight you probably won't be able to keep your resolution. A goal to run a mile is more realistic and can, with a lot of work be achieved with in a year.

Break down larger goals into little goals to help you achieve the big one. So, if you want to run a 5 minute mile make sure you can run a mile first.

Write your resolutions down and place them somewhere you can see them everyday as a reminder. If it is not written down it will be forgotten.

Work on your resolutions daily. Many resolutions are a "work in progress" like weight loss and getting organized. Do something daily to help you reach your end result.

Some resolutions are deeply personal but share the ones that are not with another person who can support you in your goal. Working towards a goal with someone who shares it also makes it easier.

It is never too late to start and if you break them start them up again.

Creating a Holiday Budget

The best part of holiday shopping is picking out gifts for everyone on your list. The worst part is when January comes along with the bills and you realize you over spent. One way to avoid the worst part is to create and stick to a holiday budget.

Step 1: Create a budget book. Add lined paper, dividers, and a zipper pocket (pens and pencil pouch) to a 3 ring binder. The paper is for taking notes and keeping track of things. The dividers are to separate lists or budget years. The zipper pocket is to hold all of your receipts.

Step 2: List Expenses. Make a list of each person you need to buy a gift for. This includes family, friends, teachers, and co-workers. Don't forget to make a list of other holiday expenses like: greeting cards, gift wrap, decorations, baking supplies for cookie trays etc.

Step 3: Set Limits. Evaluate what you spent last year or estimate what you spent last year and determine where you need to cut back and where you need a little more. Maybe you went way overboard with the cookie trays but needed a little more money for gifts. Make adjustments where necessary and then place an amount on everything. For example, $5 for teacher gifts, $10 per co-worker, $20 per extended family member, $50 for decorations. Maybe this year you can cut back on the number of cards you send out and send e-cards instead. Many people throw away the cards after the season anyway.

The most important thing is to do what is best for you. Don't compare your budget to someone else’s because everyone has different ideas and needs. Once you have your budget set make sure you keep track of everything you spend. You may go over on something but under on others. Make adjustments where necessary. Follow through with your budget to make sure there are no surprises come January.

Balancing Work and Family Life

It has been a little crazy around here since school started and I'm trying to balance everything out. So after a week my life isn't completely balanced out yet but it is significantly better. For some of you, work might be paid work and for others, work is housework. No matter what your work is, you need to have balance so you can have a happier and healthier you.

First you need to set a goal. What is your ultimate goal for you? Is it to have a happy/healthy family? Is it to see your kids grow into successful adults? Is it to have a home that others will feel welcome in? As you make decisions think about your goal and ask yourself how your decision will impact your ultimate goal.

Next, you need to determine what your values are. A value is defined by relative worth, merit, or importance. Sometimes our values can conflict with each other. For example, you might value getting to work early but you also value seeing your child off to school. When you are faced with conflicting values, look at your goal and choose which value is more important and act accordingly.

Setting priorities and managing time are two of the most important aspects of achieving a balanced life. Determine what you need to accomplish and when and write it down. Keep organized. My biggest problem is prioritizing. I spend a lot of time working on things that don't move me closer to my end goal. You may have daily priorities, weekly priorities, monthly priorities, and yearly priorities. Sometimes you can combine a couple of priorities and manage time better. Two of my priorities are spend individual time with my children and fold laundry. I can accomplish both of these by having a child work with me to fold the laundry. My child learns a skill and we have time to communicate with each other. On occasion, I have conflicting priorities. I like to have my kitchen cleaned before I leave the house but some mornings I haven't got it done and I need to leave to Yoga class, another priority of mine. When this happens I have to look at my overall day and determine which priority will benefit me most for the day.

The last thing to remember is to just let go. We can't be supermom/dad all of the time. The last couple of weeks I've realized I was trying to do too much at once and needed to let go of something. I chose not to post new blog posts and instead used the time to catch up on some much needed housework. If you are a mother you know guilt. Don't feel guilty for letting something go to achieve more balance. It is a waste of energy and time.

When, not if, you find your life out of balance, take a step back, look at your overall goal, reassess things, and make adjustments. The sooner you do so the better off life will be for you and your family.

Emergency Preparedness

Last year events like hurricane Ike and the earthquake in China reminded how ill prepared I am for an emergency. Once upon a time I had a 72 hour kit for everyone in my family. That was back when we were a family of 3. We have since doubled our numbers and have all outgrown the clothing. It is time for me to update my family's emergency kits and plan. Here is what you can do to make sure your family is prepared.

• Create an emergency plan for your family. The US Department of Homeland Security has created a downloadable one here.
• It may be hard to make local phone calls so have an out of state emergency contact. Know the emergency plans for your schools and work places.
  
• Create a 72-hour kit for each member of your family. To view a list of items to include go here.
  
• Make copies of drivers licenses, passports, insurance policies, birth certificates, marriage certificate, any important documents you need to help facilitate getting things back in order. Keep these copies in your kit. (I want to keep a CD with photos I don't want to lose in my kit)
  
• Make sure your kit can be transported easily inc as you have to walk. Back Packs are excellent containers. Once you have your kit together be sure to store it in a location that is easy to access with short notice.

Creating a Personal Budget

For some the word “budget” is a dirty word that evokes negative feelings. Those who understand budgeting know that it is a word that can equal financial freedom. So, if you don’t already have a personal budget, here is what you need to do.

Figure out what your entire monthly income is. Include paychecks, bonus, tips, and any interest you may make. From this figure out what your yearly income is. Now you know what you have to work with. Creating a budget is much more enjoyable if you have a goal in mind. Maybe you want to save money for a down payment on a house, or a family vacation, or maybe it is just to eliminate some debt. So, create a goal and think of it as you work through your budget.

Now you need to make a list of all of your fixed expenses, anything that gets paid monthly. These are things like rent/mortgage, car payment, church/charity contributions, medical insurance, dental insurance, garbage, gas, electricity, natural gas, phone, water, etc.

Make a list of all your occasional expenses. Occasional expenses are the things that come less frequently than monthly but are paid on a regular basis. Examples are: car insurance, car registration, home insurance, life insurance, magazines, property taxes, vehicle inspections, etc. Don’t forget to include money for b-day presents, vacations, and Christmas. Then there are those wonderful variable expenses: Car maintenance/repair, dry cleaning, Home repairs, school fees, pictures, prescriptions, stamps, tires, yard supplies, etc.

Once you have all of these things listed, create a practice budget. Write down how much you propose to spend on each item. At the end of the month record how much you actually spent and compare the two. Did you spend more or less in certain areas? Was it feasible? Adjust your budget accordingly and now you are ready to start saving for your goal.

You can view a budget worksheet here. You can also download budget templates of all kinds from here.

Storing Strategically with Containers

Most people have a hard time getting rid of things even when they don't use it or have no real use for it. Instead it stays around collecting dust and using up valuable space. If our homes are cluttered with these things it creates more work and stress with in the home. So, if you find yourself wanting to hold onto things that you have no use for, then put them in storage. Ideally it would be nice to have a storage unit away from home but since those cost money not everyone is able to benefit from them. There are many storage solutions for use at home. One such solution is to use containers. Containers are great because they come in all sorts of sizes and shapes. Here are some tips for storing your things in containers.

• Use transparent containers as often as possible. When you use solid color containers you can't see inside to know what is in each container. Transparent containers allow you to easily see inside and know what is in the container so you can find things when you need them. If you do use a solid color container put a list of the contents in a page protector and tape it to the side of the container so you know exactly what is inside.
  
• Stack the bins as high as you can safely, with out the risk of them falling over. Select an empty corner or wall in a closet, pantry, spare room, etc. and use the vertical space available. I have a huge walk in closet where we only need 2 walls of the room for our everyday things. The other 2 walls have floor to ceiling shelves with tubs and boxes of things we just can't part with yet.
  
• I have a pile of papers that gathers on a little counter in my kitchen. I try to organize them by placing them in stack-able files but the space on the counter is still taken up even with the files. So, I'm going to buy a vertical file for these papers. If they are stored upright they are only taking up 8.5" x 3-4" of space instead of 8.5" by 11". Don't be afraid to place containers on their side if they will take up less space this way.
  
• Have items that you need access too often but not all the time in containers on wheels. This way you can roll it out when you need to use it and then roll it back into a closet when you don't. My craft supplies are in bins on wheels for this very purpose.
  Store items in bins with slide out drawers for things you need to get into frequently. This is how I store my children's toys.
  
• Incorporate storage boxes into your decorations. Stack bins that are the same and then throw fabric that matches the room over the top. You can create an end table or side table this way. Or, take corrugated cardboard boxes that are used for storing office supplies (get these at office supply stores) and cover them with fabric. You can do this by spraying glue to the outside of the box and then covering them with coordinating fabric.
  

These are just a few of the ideas that I have found. Please share your ideas for storing solutions using containers.