Jewerly Organizing--made easy!

I had been complaining to my husband forever that I needed a full length mirror! It was driving him nuts! One night I was looking at http://www.overstock.com, which is a site that I love, and found the perfect mirror! Plus it stores all my jewerly, which freed up so much space on my dresser and put everything in one place! For $119.99 and $2.95 shipping, it was mine!

Here is the link to the item I bought on http://www.overstock.com/:

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Silver-Finish-Jewelry-Armoire-Mirror/4118750/product.html

Here is the inside of the unit (bottom half in the pic, top half has a mirror inside), with ample room for necklaces, rings, bracelets, and watches.

Looking at the inside of the unit with the door open. The door has tons of room for earrings and more necklaces!

With nothing in it!

The mirror with the door shut. It has a magnet that holds the door shut.

This mirror/jewerly armoire was the perfect solution to my unorganized jewerly problem. Before I had to search for the piece of jewerly I wanted, and being a mom, time is crucial. Having everything at my fingertips is very important! Plus, I have my full length mirror that serves a very functional role!

Dresser Drawer Overhaul

I recently did a dresser drawer overhaul in our master bedroom. From start to finish (6 drawers), it took about 1 1/2 hours. I have before and after photos for you to see. I was frustrated with not being able to find what I wanted in our drawers. Moreover, my 15 month old son was having too much fun taking everything out of the drawers, which made my attempts at keeping the drawers neat worse.

Here are some before pics:

Sock Drawer (also contained tights, hose, slips, etc.)

Panty drawer, all types mixed up


Other side of pantry drawer, again all types mixed up

bra drawer, messy

other side of bra drawer, couldn't find straps to special occasion bras

In the dresser four drawers were for me, and two drawers for my husband. My drawers consisted of underclothing, socks, hose/tights, and bathing suits. My husband's drawers had socks and underwear in them.

These are the steps I took to organize the drawers.

1. Completely empty a drawer, one at a time.
2. Vacuum out the drawer with the hose of the vacuum.
3. Go through each item creating a donate pile, trash pile, and keep pile.
4. Items that were in the kept pile were then folded neatly and stacked into "like" piles (i.e. exercise bras, cotton panties, thongs, special panties/bras, maternity bras, nursing tanks, strapless bras, etc.).
5. Place neatly stacked piles back into the drawer. Place less-used items in the back of the drawer and more-used items in the front of the drawer. *Use drawer separaters if you choose (more on that below).

• I took out all my maternity bras and nursing tanks out of the drawers and put them into a large storage container to be stored in the basement. They were taking up precious space!
• I moved my sports bras and slips to the closet.
• Some of my special occasion bras have straps, so I put them into a zip-top bag so that I could find the straps when needed.
• Socks were inspected for holes, loss of elasticity, etc. and tossed into the trash.
• Pantyhose, tights, and thigh highs were inspected for holes and runs. The keepers were then put into individual zip-top bags to prevent snagging.

*Drawer dividers are a great way to keep piles in piles and looking neat. I researched several sites to order some of these. Unfortunately, I didn't find what I was looking for and need to go to a organizing store in a larger city to find what I am looking for. I tried to use sturdy pieces of cardboard (which you will see in some of the photos), but then didn't like these because they made my clothes smell like cardboard...not pleasant!*

After pics of the drawers:
half of my husband's underwear drawer

my sock drawer, each pair folded into each other, color cordinated, single layer

panty drawer, neat stacks in similar types

half of bra drawer, right side is special occasion bras (i.e. strapless, convertible, bustier)

other half of bra drawer, bras folded into cups, colour-cordinated

There are two drawers not pictures, my husband's sock drawer and my bathing suit drawer. I hope this gives you some ideas on how to organize your drawers and underclothing! If you have additional ideas, please feel free to post a comment. I can find anything now quickly and efficiently and save precious minutes in the morning getting ready!

Walk-In Closet Makeover--Part 1

As an organizer, I am embarrassed to say that the walk-in closet in our master bedroom has literally become a disaster! I have been wanting to install a custom walk-in closet system since we moved into our house. So for months now, I have been procrastinating and in the process of my procrastination, I have let our closet become the mess that it is! As for most of the "stuff" on the floor, it is due to my one-year-old son taking all the folded clothes off the shelves and playing with them!

There are SO many options out there for closet system makeovers from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars! I want something high quality, but I want a great deal! This makes a perfect winter project for me to complete! It has come to the point that I "just have to make a decision" and stick with it!

Manage Your Time; Make Double Batches!

What family these days isn't busy? With children being involved in extracurricular activities and parents working, it is very easy to just pick up take out or fast food for dinner on your way home from work! However, if you want a healthy alternative that will save you time and money, make double batches of dinners and FREEZE them! It is easy to take out something from the freezer to thaw before you go to work or to take it out to thaw when you get home. My mom used to have me take out the meat out of the freezer when I got home from school. That way it was thawed when she got home from work. As I got older, I would do much of prep work in preparing the dinners making it even easier for her when she got home.

How much would it take to make a double batch of your family's favorite dinners? My answer...very little! If you are making it already, it would only take a few extra minutes of prep work and a few minutes to place into freezer bags, label, and freeze! I keep freezer bags of different sizes and a Sharpie marker stocked in my kitchen to make it easy. Be sure to label what is in the bag, it may not be recognizable after it is frozen, and the date!

Here are some ideas of foods that I make double batches of and freeze:

• soups (cream based and broth based)
• stews
• chili
• chicken pot pie filling (use a prepared frozen pie crust to finish)
• manicotti pasta stuffing
• lasagna
• mashed potatoes (they make excellent potato pancakes or hashbrowns for breakfast)
• bean dishes
• squash dishes
• casseroles
• spaghetti sauce
• meatloaf
• meatballs
• homemade hamburger patties

Make and freeze your family's favorites. It will make your life easier on those busy nights while giving your family a healthy meal!

Weekly Housework and Errand Routine

I find that if I don't keep up with housework daily and errands weekly, it throws me off making me feel unaccomplished, overwhelmed, and frustrated. Over the past year of being a stay-at-home mom, I have slowly come into a weekly routine.

Please note that when I use the word "clean" it means cleaning all surfaces, vacuuming , mopping floors, dusting, mirrors, etc. When I use the word "tidy" it means wiping off coutnertops, picking up toys, no dishes in the sink, putting away anything that should be put away, etc.

My weekly routine goes something like this:

Monday--I stay home and usually do not go anywhere. I clean the kitchen, breakfast nook, dining room, and living room areas (basically the main living areas that are most used). If my son is having a good nap or the day is going well, sometimes I can get Tuesday's cleaning jobs done as well. Generally this takes me about two to three hours.

Tuesday--I clean the entry, laundry/mud room, and main floor bathroom. This usually takes me about 20 to 30 minutes. I run errands this day according to my to-do list, which is created/updated on Sunday or Monday.

Wednesday--I tackle paperwork (i.e. filing, invoices, receipts, etc.) for our small business and tidy our home office. The time it takes to do this really varies based on the time of the month. This is our trash day as well (we do not get curbside trash service where we live so I have to bring the trash/recycling to the refuse station). I finish any errands not completed on Tuesday.

Thursday--I clean the two bathrooms upstairs, clean and/or tidy the boys' bedrooms and our bedroom. I vacuum the entire top floor. Sometimes I have to finish this on Friday. Generally this takes about one to two hours.

Friday--I am usually catching up on anything not checked off my to-do list.

Saturday and Sunday are generally my "days off" meaning I just tidy the house and spend time with my family. If I was not able to take the trash/recycling out on Wednesday, I can do it either of these days. This is usually my husband's job, but if he is away working, then I do it.

Life happens and sometimes my routine gets thrown off, truthfully it happens just about every week! So for example, if my Monday cleaning doesn't get done, I just tidy and clean the Monday stuff the next week. I try not to stress out about it!

Generally every other week, I move the furniture in our main living area to vacuum and mop (if needed) underneath it. I only do this because we have hardwood floors and this is where the dust settles! If you have carpet, you would not have to do this!

*****One key area I would like to point out, is every night before I go to bed, I spend about five to 15 minutes tidying up the mainfloor. I feel refreshed in the morning when there are no dishes in the sink from the night before and the toys are not laying around everywhere!*****

Creating a routine that has room for "life" is key for me when staying organized and on top of things in my household! Then housework doesn't seem to build up! If this happens it is because we are really busy, and in that case, I just start up the next week.

When you create your own routine, you will need to decide which day you can tackle your cleaning chores. For example, if you work a typical Monday through Friday job, you may have to do your cleaning on the weekends and save weekdays for tidying and spending time with family. If you have children, they can definitely be helping out with these tasks saving you a lot of time. Husbands can also help out with things! I will tackle that subject in another post as I have had lots of inquiries on how to get husbands more involved!! In my household, we have the belief that we are a family unit. We help each other out with cleaning, errands, and yardwork. We work together to get it done faster in return giving us more time with each other for play! Since I am a stay-at-home mom and my husband works a great deal away from home, I generally am doing most, if not all, the cleaning and household chores.

Choosing a Planner or Calendar

As the new year begins, the task of finding a new calendar and/or planner can be daunting. My advice is to not just pick one, but really look at your options. Find one that is suited to your needs.

When I was teaching and maintaining a household, I personally liked one with a month-at-a-glance, week-at-a-glance, and plenty of space to write down events and appointments. I would also choose one with a plastic or heavier cover if you tend to bring yours with you as I did. Some may want to keep their work and personal calendars and/or planners separate; however, I found that maintaining two was too much work. I generally combined mine into one planner/calendar. It went to work with me everyday and home every night.

Now that I am a stay-at-home mom and a small business owner, I use a large desk calendar to write down events, appointments, and schedules. Again, I like plenty of space to write things down.

Whatever calendar or planner you choose, take your time picking one out! Afterall, you will be with it for the entire year! Having a planner/calendar is an essential way to keep yourself organized and managing your time!

Creating my To-Do List for the week

Every weekend I update and/or create my to-do list for the week. Having a visual, written to-do list really helps me stay focused, less stressed, more organized, and in control. I used to type and print it out, but now I use a small notebook. I write down everything in the notebook that I need to remember. Before I was a Mother, I could remember things that I needed to get done better; however, now I cannot seem to remember anything! I forget things very easily! Therefore, having a to-do list to me is essential!

I only tear pages out of my notebook that I do not need anymore, or once the To-Do List has been updated on a separate page. I usually carry this notebook with me when I am running errands, so I can check things off as I am done with them. This helps me feel "accomplished!"

My To-Do List looks something like this:

To-Do List--Jan. 2-8, 2010
1.
2.
3.
4.
and so on...

I try to organize my list by errands, household, phone calls, etc.
If my list is particularly long, I can feel overwhelmed. I will designate tasks that I want or need to get done by the day. For example, if item #1 on my list needs to get done or I want it done on Monday, I will either highlight it in a color or put "Mon." next to it. I feel very accomplished when I can check off items on my list!

This may sounds a little ridiculous to some. However, if you are an unorganized person who forgets things a lot, creating a To-Do List is essential in helping you become more organized.

How It All Got Started

For many years now, people have told me that I am very organized. Many people have thought of it as a talent or gift. As a small child, I remember enjoying organizing objects and cleaning my room. Everything always had its place. I have always been a neat and tidy person, and I have never liked clutter. Does anyone like clutter though? Well, for some I would say they must like it given the condition of their homes! I for one, literally get enjoyment out of cleaning a drawer or closet! Perhaps this is a little neurotic, but it has always helped me keep an organized home and life. With that being said, you might think "does her house ever get messy?" My answer to that is of course! I have a one year old baby and a nine year old step-son. We are a busy family, just like everyone else. I do let some things (for example, paperwork and ironing) go too long before tackling the task. It is what I do with these items in the meantime that make me organized until I am ready to complete the task.

In the past, I have had friends and family ask me to help them organize their closets, drawers, kitchens, home offices, children's rooms, garages, and so much more. Many people are amazed at how I can do this! My goal of this blog is to share my ideas and thoughts on how to keep an organized home, family, workplace, and life! I hope that my organizing tips can help you!

Some topics I would like to include in my blog are:

• kitchens
• bathrooms
• children's rooms
• closets
• home office
• basement/attic
• garages
• personal calendar
• to-do lists
• living spaces
• time management
• crafts and hobbies

Also, I hope to be able to help others with their organization and time management questions! Please feel free to post your questions!