In the past, I have tracked habits here at Common to Moms. I've done this partially because the public forum is great accountability for me and partially because watching someone accomplish something is great motivation for others.
This year- 2014- I am planning to make A LOT of changes in my life. Mainly, my goal is to move past survival mode and choose to live in a more peaceful and complete way.
I'm happy to report that the process has already begun. In the last week or so, I have already begun to do things like use my calendar to plan my life at least a week in advance (this helps to quell the chaos in a life full of doctors' appointments and therapies), taken back grocery shopping and meal planning, cooked a little, saved receipts (to soon use to do some budget tracking) and made a plan for how to take back my house from the chaos of twin pregnancy and almost a year of 3 children 3 and under.
Today I want to break down my plan for taking back my house and share it with you.
First, I feel the need to clarify that although I have needed to improve my habits on cleaning before, this is not the only thing crying out for change in our current life circumstances. It's more that while I was busy nursing, changing diapers and changing toddlers, stuff began accumulating in the corners of our home. And while some things grew, other things began to get lost in the shuffle. Showers, make-up, clothes that fit, quality restful time all began to dwindle while chaos increased. Life was hardly ever completely crazy, but neither was it truly complete. Satisfying? Yes. Fulfilling? Almost. Complete? Not really. The start of the new year has me realizing that what will get lost in the chaos of babies and small children (if I'm not careful) is peace at home and a respectable me.
"Taking Back the House" to me means getting rid of clutter, working on cleaning habits AND adjusting our home to function for six people instead of four. Let's face it- almost DAILY I run into problems trying to squeeze a six-person-life out of a four-person-home. I have been reading a lot about organization, cleaning and home management (as well as a little personal soul searching) so I have come up with a pretty comprehensive plan (at least I think it is!) for how I'm going to tackle taking back the house. And as I mentioned before, I think its both helpful for me and inspiring to others to share it here on the ole' blog. Consider this a life over-share and if you want to join me as I attempt to conquer some major disorganization and lifestyle adjustment, then I can only say thank you! Any and all support and encouragement are welcome.
Without further adieu- here is the plan to Take Back the House.
1. Divide my home into three zones.
Zone 1- Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen & Laundry
Zone 2- Master Bedroom
Zone 3- Kids Rooms and Bathroom
Admittedly, I have chosen the hardest zone to tackle first- mostly because if I can conquer these areas of my home then I can DEFINITELY continue on and conquer the rest!
2. Chose a starting point within Zone 1 - The Dining Room!
3. Make a list of every stitch of clutter or randomness in that space and what I need to do about it. The goal here is to check things off the list until the area is completely clutter free.
4. Keep this area CLEAN.
5. Celebrate my clean and de-cluttered space by changing things in the space to better fit our family including but not limited to changing or updating decor. This is definitely the FUN step!
6. Rinse and Repeat to the end of a zone, then take time to reflect and re-evaluate the process. Share on the blog and keep moving forward. Taking the entire year to complete all three zones is definitely allowed- it will be no small task!
So that's the plan in as much detail as I can predict! Stay tuned for my Dining Room Over-share Post!
Till Next Time,
Rachel
Showing posts with label organization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organization. Show all posts
Monday, January 6, 2014
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Finally...a playroom
Our family has some exciting news for the blog world that I haven't shared yet here on Common to Moms... we are expecting!
Furthermore... we are expecting TWINS.
Our 20 week ultrasound tells us that we are expecting ONE BOY and ONE GIRL. :)
We are beyond thrilled!
That being said... there are some major changes that will take place in our home over the next few months.
1. Melody and our foster baby, "Peanut," will move from separate rooms to sharing a room.
2. We will create a new nursery for our twins.
3. Our home office is going bye-bye to make room for a kids-only playroom and learning space.
4. We plan to reclaim our living room as an adult-friendly space (no longer half and half). :)
Getting our house ready for this transition is going to be intense. We are about to have four children under the age of 3 in our little, humble abode. A friend of mine put this link on my facebook to give me some ideas for catering to kids in a small space. This post is FULL of awesome ideas to help you create a kid-friendly play/learning space, so consider this an "Inspire Me! Monday" link on Saturday night. ;-)
- A 9 block cubby holder/book case for toys,books, etc
- A play kitchen
- Probably a glider/rocker for nursing & possibly a baby gate contraption around it to keep kids away from poking newborn babies while I nurse
- Baby swings
- A pack-n-play to give Peanut a safe place to play while I nurse
- Lots of pillows for a reading space on the floor
- An arts and crafts type storage area with learning boxes and activities
- A table for drawing/coloring, etc
- Cozy kid chairs or bean bags, maybe like these but without the names on them
- Artwork displayed across the window with a line and clothespins
- Pictures of my kids on at least one wall
I am so looking forward to finally having the motivation to turn a room in our house into a complete kid-friendly space. The only non-kid stuff that will have to remain in that room is our washer and dryer... The room we have been using as our home office is actually our laundry/bonus room. So I will also be looking for ways to kid-proof the area in front of our washer and dryer, so kids can't mess with knobs, etc. I am sensing the need for a closet to be built around them... but we will see.
And of course, there is LOTS of work to be done in that room before we can even begin to really make it into a kid space... clearing out the adult junk, fixing a problem window and priming and painting it. Luckily, I've had one or two people volunteer to help me with this project and I am definitely itching to get started on it. It might take a little more time to start on it though, since I am still backed up from the first trimester blues... which honestly lasted until the last week or two. The morning sickness, tiredness, etc are still not gone, but they are definitely not holding me hostage anymore and I can eat now, so things are definitely on the upswing.
It feels so good to be back on the blog, telling you what's going on in my head. Hope to see you again soon! :)
Love,
Rachel
-
Furthermore... we are expecting TWINS.
Our 20 week ultrasound tells us that we are expecting ONE BOY and ONE GIRL. :)
We are beyond thrilled!
That being said... there are some major changes that will take place in our home over the next few months.
1. Melody and our foster baby, "Peanut," will move from separate rooms to sharing a room.
2. We will create a new nursery for our twins.
3. Our home office is going bye-bye to make room for a kids-only playroom and learning space.
4. We plan to reclaim our living room as an adult-friendly space (no longer half and half). :)
Getting our house ready for this transition is going to be intense. We are about to have four children under the age of 3 in our little, humble abode. A friend of mine put this link on my facebook to give me some ideas for catering to kids in a small space. This post is FULL of awesome ideas to help you create a kid-friendly play/learning space, so consider this an "Inspire Me! Monday" link on Saturday night. ;-)
In honor of reading this post, here is a list of things that will be put in our play space after we clear out all remnants of adulthood.
- A 9 block cubby holder/book case for toys,books, etc
- A play kitchen
- Probably a glider/rocker for nursing & possibly a baby gate contraption around it to keep kids away from poking newborn babies while I nurse
- Baby swings
- A pack-n-play to give Peanut a safe place to play while I nurse
Other things I don't have, but might like to make/get for the play space
- Lots of pillows for a reading space on the floor
- An arts and crafts type storage area with learning boxes and activities
- A table for drawing/coloring, etc
- Cozy kid chairs or bean bags, maybe like these but without the names on them
- Artwork displayed across the window with a line and clothespins
- Pictures of my kids on at least one wall
I am so looking forward to finally having the motivation to turn a room in our house into a complete kid-friendly space. The only non-kid stuff that will have to remain in that room is our washer and dryer... The room we have been using as our home office is actually our laundry/bonus room. So I will also be looking for ways to kid-proof the area in front of our washer and dryer, so kids can't mess with knobs, etc. I am sensing the need for a closet to be built around them... but we will see.
And of course, there is LOTS of work to be done in that room before we can even begin to really make it into a kid space... clearing out the adult junk, fixing a problem window and priming and painting it. Luckily, I've had one or two people volunteer to help me with this project and I am definitely itching to get started on it. It might take a little more time to start on it though, since I am still backed up from the first trimester blues... which honestly lasted until the last week or two. The morning sickness, tiredness, etc are still not gone, but they are definitely not holding me hostage anymore and I can eat now, so things are definitely on the upswing.
It feels so good to be back on the blog, telling you what's going on in my head. Hope to see you again soon! :)
Love,
Rachel
-
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Project Simplify
While I have been spending more time browsing creative ideas online lately, I have come across some amazingly inspiring blogs in the last week or so.
After having emotional chaos in my home for two months, I feel pretty desperate to make my home as peaceful as possible. I want the outside to reflect (and influence) the inside of me if at all possible. You know, the "your outside reflects your insides" kind of thing. I want there to be peace in both places.
There is something about having all of your time not belong to you for awhile that makes you realize how much time you really have when it is given back to you.
I no longer think that I don't have enough time to work on decluttering and organizing. Yes, almost every room in my house needs some serious attention. But yes, it will be well worth the effort if I give my home the attention it needs.
Enter simplemom.net.
On her website, I found her challenge to simplify one spot in your home each week for her spring cleaning she does each year. Kind of like my own challenges to declutter one spot in our home each week- except I don't have a cool button like her. :)
(imagine her cool button here, that I cannot get to work because I am not computer savvy enough :-/ )
I am going to join with simple mom and continue decluttering my house, but I will be trying to conquer bigger tasks than I was doing previously. For example, this week I will be working all week on clearing out our bedroom closet. I wanted to start somewhere else but am realizing that storage is a major issue in our 1940's house. There are three bedroom closets, one linen closet (sort of), and ZERO closets for the rest of the house. I know that if I can begin to clear the clutter in our bedroom, then as I go through the rest of the house finding things that need appropriate storage it will be nice if there is actually room to put them away.
Then there is this website: smallnotebook.org where the author's name is Rachel also.
This blog is special. I am telling you. Rachel writes with such heart- I didn't know it was possible for one person to write so many inspiring posts. Each one gives you the sense that you are gleaning a little golden nugget of timeless truth. Each time I read something, I want to put it away in a special place where I can come back and read it over and over (I guess that's why her blog is there though :) ). She has got me thinking about some storage solutions for my small house and about living frugally and with focus.
Then there is Jen over at I heart organizing. This post, made me realize that I don't just need to de-clutter things, I also need to figure out what my real problem in an area is v. just cleaning it up. If I actually find a (cheap) solution to fix the lack of organization then maybe I won't have to keep coming back to this same place of being overwhelmed by the messy trail I can't seem to help but leave behind me. Maybe I can change my messy trail to a cute organized trail... Maybe?
What areas of your home or your life need addressing? Which do you think you will address first?
Join me on Friday to see my bedroom closet all organized!
After having emotional chaos in my home for two months, I feel pretty desperate to make my home as peaceful as possible. I want the outside to reflect (and influence) the inside of me if at all possible. You know, the "your outside reflects your insides" kind of thing. I want there to be peace in both places.
There is something about having all of your time not belong to you for awhile that makes you realize how much time you really have when it is given back to you.
I no longer think that I don't have enough time to work on decluttering and organizing. Yes, almost every room in my house needs some serious attention. But yes, it will be well worth the effort if I give my home the attention it needs.
Enter simplemom.net.
On her website, I found her challenge to simplify one spot in your home each week for her spring cleaning she does each year. Kind of like my own challenges to declutter one spot in our home each week- except I don't have a cool button like her. :)
(imagine her cool button here, that I cannot get to work because I am not computer savvy enough :-/ )
I am going to join with simple mom and continue decluttering my house, but I will be trying to conquer bigger tasks than I was doing previously. For example, this week I will be working all week on clearing out our bedroom closet. I wanted to start somewhere else but am realizing that storage is a major issue in our 1940's house. There are three bedroom closets, one linen closet (sort of), and ZERO closets for the rest of the house. I know that if I can begin to clear the clutter in our bedroom, then as I go through the rest of the house finding things that need appropriate storage it will be nice if there is actually room to put them away.
Then there is this website: smallnotebook.org where the author's name is Rachel also.
This blog is special. I am telling you. Rachel writes with such heart- I didn't know it was possible for one person to write so many inspiring posts. Each one gives you the sense that you are gleaning a little golden nugget of timeless truth. Each time I read something, I want to put it away in a special place where I can come back and read it over and over (I guess that's why her blog is there though :) ). She has got me thinking about some storage solutions for my small house and about living frugally and with focus.
Then there is Jen over at I heart organizing. This post, made me realize that I don't just need to de-clutter things, I also need to figure out what my real problem in an area is v. just cleaning it up. If I actually find a (cheap) solution to fix the lack of organization then maybe I won't have to keep coming back to this same place of being overwhelmed by the messy trail I can't seem to help but leave behind me. Maybe I can change my messy trail to a cute organized trail... Maybe?
What areas of your home or your life need addressing? Which do you think you will address first?
Join me on Friday to see my bedroom closet all organized!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Make a Plan
Week-end chit-chat
How was your week-end? My highlights have been treating myself to a ten-minute facial mask in the shower on Saturday, getting my nails done (a $5 box of fake nails from Wal-Mart = all I can afford) and taking the time to shave my legs. (Is that a treat for anyone else?) We also had our first snow this week-end! Lots and lots of it!
Such a restful week-end has left me recharged and rejuvenated to tackle some new things that I can't wait to share with you this week. So, without further adieu...
The real post
After saying good-bye to our foster son a week and a half ago, it feels like our life has changed enormously. In all reality, it has morphed back into what it used to be... but it feels different.
One thing I really enjoyed during those 7 weeks, and even the months of preparation leading up to his arrival, was how focused we were on a specific reason for living. Each day was planned out and had purpose with specific goals, all the way down to when and how I cleaned and the types of words I used to describe certain things. If it wasn't planned that way, then we achieved so much less in our relationship with our foster son and in dealing with his specific needs. Without that plan, all hell was very likely to break loose on any given day.
The pressure in that situation was not something I enjoyed, but since he has gone, I have sincerely missed the ability to have such a great focus- such a specific plan. The type of plan where you never even wonder if you should be deviating from it. You just know that you have to keep marching forward without looking to the right or left, without looking backward.
Now that he is gone and life is no longer a daily crisis, it is much harder to stay motivated toward a goal each day. My husband and I know that our purpose is to give God glory in all things. We know that part of our plan is to have a family life that honors God in how we are married and how we raise our daughter, but that idea is still rather open ended. Wanting to give God glory doesn't exactly tell you what to do when you get out of bed on Monday morning, you know what I mean? This is especially difficult if you are like me and are very externally motivated.
In the last couple of weeks, "you have to make a plan" is a theme I keep bumping into in the voices of people around me and through the blogs I'm reading. In my heart, I feel like Someone is trying to tell me something... So last week my wonderful hubby allowed me some soul searching time to go to Barnes and Noble while he took care of the little one. While drinking coffee and doodling in a notebook, I tried to wrap my head around some things in life that I felt needed a more specific plan.
Here is what I came up with...
How was your week-end? My highlights have been treating myself to a ten-minute facial mask in the shower on Saturday, getting my nails done (a $5 box of fake nails from Wal-Mart = all I can afford) and taking the time to shave my legs. (Is that a treat for anyone else?) We also had our first snow this week-end! Lots and lots of it!
Such a restful week-end has left me recharged and rejuvenated to tackle some new things that I can't wait to share with you this week. So, without further adieu...
The real post
After saying good-bye to our foster son a week and a half ago, it feels like our life has changed enormously. In all reality, it has morphed back into what it used to be... but it feels different.
One thing I really enjoyed during those 7 weeks, and even the months of preparation leading up to his arrival, was how focused we were on a specific reason for living. Each day was planned out and had purpose with specific goals, all the way down to when and how I cleaned and the types of words I used to describe certain things. If it wasn't planned that way, then we achieved so much less in our relationship with our foster son and in dealing with his specific needs. Without that plan, all hell was very likely to break loose on any given day.
The pressure in that situation was not something I enjoyed, but since he has gone, I have sincerely missed the ability to have such a great focus- such a specific plan. The type of plan where you never even wonder if you should be deviating from it. You just know that you have to keep marching forward without looking to the right or left, without looking backward.
Now that he is gone and life is no longer a daily crisis, it is much harder to stay motivated toward a goal each day. My husband and I know that our purpose is to give God glory in all things. We know that part of our plan is to have a family life that honors God in how we are married and how we raise our daughter, but that idea is still rather open ended. Wanting to give God glory doesn't exactly tell you what to do when you get out of bed on Monday morning, you know what I mean? This is especially difficult if you are like me and are very externally motivated.
In the last couple of weeks, "you have to make a plan" is a theme I keep bumping into in the voices of people around me and through the blogs I'm reading. In my heart, I feel like Someone is trying to tell me something... So last week my wonderful hubby allowed me some soul searching time to go to Barnes and Noble while he took care of the little one. While drinking coffee and doodling in a notebook, I tried to wrap my head around some things in life that I felt needed a more specific plan.
Here is what I came up with...
- Grocery Shopping- Doing this on Monday mornings (like I described here) has been working out really well. I'm going to continue making this a regular thing.
- Detail Cleaning- As I mentioned before, finding time to do what Fly Lady would call a "weekly home blessing" (bathroom cleaning, mopping, vacuuming, etc) has been difficult for me- especially since I really don't like doing it! While our foster son lived with us we had someone come do these things once a week while I grocery shopped which was amazing, but she is no longer able to help us and we are not really able to pay anyone anymore. I know I should try to do this in small little time pieces throughout the week, but if I don't do it all at once every week, it will honestly never get done. So I have come up with this solution. Mondays after Christian gets home from work is going to be Daddy-Daughter time so I can clean without the Melody underfoot. I'm not sure why I never thought of Christian watching Melody so I can get this done before, but I'm glad I have now!
- Date Night- Monday's watching The Voice... this may not seem exciting to you, but it is our idea of an extremely good time!
- Writing & Blog Time - I am giving myself permission to pursue writing more. I will be able to do this during Melody's naps and during the evenings we don't have other things scheduled (usually twice a week ish). This includes once a week planning time to help me stay focused on what topics I will be writing about and when I will be working on them.
- Have a Regular Bed Time (about 10pm)- I am so bad at implementing this (as evidenced by the fact that I am working on this post at 2 am), but need this structure so much. Getting enough sleep is something I really need to be doing for myself. Going to bed a little earlier will give me time to read and wind down before bed which helps me fall asleep more easily.
- Use my monthly planner- I love using a monthly planner even more than a weekly planner. Writing things down in it makes me more aware of what is going on in my life, when things need to be done and keeps me from getting over scheduled/committed.
I know from the surface these plans may seem arbitrary, but these simple things are what make up my life: loving my husband, caring for my family and my home (i.e. cleaning), using my creative talents and taking care of myself. When these things don't function well, I don't feel any good at being me. Just knowing I have guidelines in place for taking care of some of the more important aspects of my life allows me to feel peaceful... no, scrath that... Having guidelines makes me feel Peaceful -with a capital P- as in I am aligned with God's plan for my life. Having the basic things down gives me enough room for margin that when unexpected things are thrown our way, maybe we can, with His help, catch them gracefully. Being in that kind of state is a gift that not every family gets, but as long as we can that is the kind of place I want to strive to stay in as a family. Content in the day to day, with room to handle the unexpected.
Happy Monday everyone!
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