40 Day Challenge: Bedroom, Day 9

Well, I've managed to make the bed most days, but not always in the morning. And I haven't even gotten close to that big pile of boxes in the corner...

40 Day Challenge: Bedroom, Day 8

Last night went well, the boys were around so I put them to work and we got alot of stuff done. I went to bed with a huge pile of clean dishes drying and the other sink empty and clean. I felt much better at the end of the day about getting more of the house clean. I got Brian to help me put the Christmas boxes downstairs and a few other things that needed to go down but were sitting in the kitchen. I went to bed early but it took a while for my mind to slow down, which isn't normally the case, so I felt like I wasn't completely exhausted. I get more energy when the house is picked up.

40 Day Challenge: Bedroom, Day 7

So, a week into the challenge. Not quite- I skipped a couple days and I feel horrible about it. This is what the whole house looks like and I'm so tired of it. I know we need better storage- we need alot of the stuff that is around, other wise I would toss it. We don't have cupboard and stuff can't be hidden away. The dining room looks awful and I see it all the time and the kitchen is so hard to keep on top of and Titus is sick and wakes up when I do the dishes in the morning, but he's been napping in the morning because he doesn't feel good. I'm depressed about the house. Though, I have read a book- which was a great accomplishment for me. I had to make myself sit down while Titus was napping. Naomi happily played near me in the livingroom while I read, it was really nice.
The desk is starting to pile up again... so I have a cycle. I don't clean something, feel lousy about it so I don't clean whatever I'm supposed to clean and then I feel lousy about that... I know this, so the last couple days I have straightened the livingroom and diningroom each morning and I feel better, but by evening it's messy. I know it's part of having kids and I know it helps when the boys chip in and get their chores done. It's times like these I really just want to bull doze the house down.
Flylady calls the way I'm feeling a crash and burn- you wait until you can't stand it and then you go crazy cleaning and then you don't feel like cleaning it for a month- by which time it's driving you crazy again. Ugh.
I'm going to get off the computer and clean something.

40 Day Challenge: Bedroom, Day 6

Notice Brian peeking out of the closet? lol

40 Day Challenge: Bedroom, Day 5

40 Day Challenge: Bedroom, Day 4

40 Day Challenge: Bedroom, Day 4

Not much going on... but the bed got made again. This is a good thing.

40 Day Challenge: Bedroom, Day 3

Ok, I got off my duff and posted some pics. It's improving- slowly, but still improving.

Delayed posting

So, I realize that I am behind, I was ahead of myself a couple days and then didn't post and spaced it out, working on other things (other than blogging) so, I do have pics of my challenge, I just have been working on other ways to produce an income as I see blogging is not going to work well for that, unless I have 500-1000 readers.
My house is still a huge goal, and I'm working on my 40 day challenge, I'll do a catch up day here pretty soon and post it. Just figured I'd give you guys an fyi. :-)

40 Day Challenge: Bedroom, Day 2

So... I didn't do much, I did hang a couple jackets up. I had a busy day... it was the day I had the car, so I did some grocery shopping and then took the boys to piano lessons, then in the evening we went and spent some time with friends.
I find that when I'm gone in the evening it's alot harder to stay on top of things. In the evening both little ones are sleeping (bedtime is 7pm) and they don't wake up if I make noise. They do wake during the day if I make alot of noise. So, I do play catch up in the evening.

40 Day Challenge: Bedroom, Day 1

Ok, lest anyone forget- here are the "before pictures."

And then we move on to "Day 1" of the challenge.

Sadly, very little difference.

But this is just the beginning.

I haven't worked on it at all.

I didn't try to improve so that people wouldn't think I'm such a slob.

I'm being honest.

40 Day Challenge: Desk, Day 40!!!

WOW! I can't believe I have another 40 day challenge under my belt! I'm excited and dreading the next one at the same time. I'm excited because I see how much of a difference it can make... dreading because the bedroom seems like more work then the rest of the house! Well, maybe not more work than the kitchen... but still.

2010 in 2010... up to 18!

Go here for your own 2010 in 2010 chart.

Kitchen Drawers #7 & #8

I don't know what to call this drawer... but it has foil, wax paper, baggies, etc. Not alot to do here- removed a couple qt. sized bags I kept, that had been used but probably with granola or something that I figured I would use again and I've forgotten, so now they just look dusty and when am I really going to wash them out and use them anyway?
A couple bag closing things that I won't use, a tortilla chip and the bag that holds the paper bags... not needed.
The "tupperware" drawer. I have 1 lonely piece of genuine tupperware. The rest are ziplock containers. I get rid of anything right away if it breaks, so nothing do to here.

40 Day Challenge: Desk, Day 39

Day 39! Woot Woot!

Kitchen Drawer #6

The bib/wash cloth drawer. Spacific wash cloths- only for little hands and faces, nothing else. Because I am OCD with wash cloths. There are bath wash cloths- only used when bathing. Cleaning, only used on floor/toilet, etc. Dish clothes, only used for dishes and then these- only used for little people.
I have made bibs for the kids and so there is a pile of girl bibs and a pile of boy bibs. This drawer didn't loose anything and took 30 seconds to refold 2 bibs.

40 Day Challenge: Desk, Day 38

2 days left and going strong! Yay!! Hm... maybe I should put away Christmas decorations... yeah, about that time!

Kitchen Drawer #5

The towel/oven mitt drawer.

This one is not that hard. I'm going for simple here... so let's see.

Put the apron in the "rarely used drawer"...


Got rid of 4 Ikea dish towels that are very cute, but leave fuzzies on glasses if you use them to dry and really don't soak up enough for a hand towel... and then a cute snowman towel that I pull out at Christmas time. Do I really need a towel I only use 1 month out of the year? No. And a nasty pillow case. Weird, one may think. Unless they have a 12 and 13 year old boy folding laundry. Then, it's quite normal. It gets trashed.

40 Day Challenge: Desk, Day 37

There I brought out the calendar. It shows a week if you leave it open. That's what I plan to do. Since this is the most central place in the house and where I seem to take phone calls. I wonder if it would help me to put my dinner menu on it- then everything would all be right there. Do you use a calendar? How much do you put on it?

Kitchen drawer #3

So, I open the bottom drawer... my "rarely used utensil" drawer... and I see the steak knives our friends got us last year, because we kept having them over for BBQ and pulling out little paring knives. :-) Maybe I should take them out of the package.
Well, to do that, I need to clean out the eating utensil drawer, because that is where I want them.

Lets see... nut crackers... which I have never used, but you know as soon as I get rid of them someone will give us a bag of nuts, or I'll want to start eating apricot nuts... or something like that, I think I heard they were good for you... I'll put those in the "rarely used" drawer.

A couple paint brushes. I don't remember, but yes, I used them in cooking something.

I opened the knives... and then cut myself. Dork.

I don't think I need to keep washing plastic silverware. Again- Dork.


I had to pull the eating utensil drawer completely out, because it's broken. I decided to put the dry dishes away, well, the silverware and filled the drawer back up. Then, since it was out, I decided to try and fix it. Yes, it was that easy. I don't know why I'm so lazy as to not even look and see how the drawer broke. That look all of 1 minute to get a screwdriver and screw it in again, and Da-Dah! Now I have a working drawer. Whew! Glad that's over.














I didn't toss anything out of the rarely used drawer, I do use my cherry pitter, meat mallet and skewers... and yes, someday, the nut crackers. But hey, at least the steak knives are ready for our next BBQ!!

40 Day Challenge: Desk, Day 36

I can't believe I'm so close to being done with this challenge and on to a new one. That means I've actually kept areas clean for almost 80 days! 2 1/2 months. This has been really good. It will be good to move on to the bedroom too...

Next Drawer- Kitchen

OK, next drawer down. This is my large cooking utensil drawer.
I took out some rarely used items- the potato masher and pasta spoon. I put them in the "rarely used" drawer on the bottom. I took out my canning funnel and put it with the canning stuff and same with the extra canning jar lids I had in there.
I got rid of a serving spatula.

40 Day Challenge: Desk, Day 35

It's January. I need to pull out the calendar I bought to leave on the desk. If I have my week in front of me, I am hoping I will be more aware of my appointments and what I need to have done on certain days.

2010 in 2010... the Beginning!

I talked about this here and you can also download the chart here.

I went into the kitchen today and looked in my drawers.
Drawer #1: Small cooking utensils.

This isn't a bad drawer, because it's one of my main ones and I can't stand fighting to find the things I need.

I removed 2 basting brushing... I left 2, one silicone one for basting/brushing oil on pans and one natural one for cleaning my grain grinder. I moved a serving spatula down a drawer.