January Organisation (Part 4)

Well, the 31 Days to Get Organised Challenge is over and done with. I have been a bit slack with the last week or so as I have been busy and we also got away for a few days as well (will blog about that soon). I also lost a bit of momentum but am keen to get back into it.

Day 24:  Car. This is one that I am putting off till B starts kinder as I really need the car to have a good clean and it's a lot easier to do without "help". I tend to bring everything out of the car each day and keep a rubbish bag in the car for any rubbish we have. There are probably a few things that I have kept in the car "just in case" that haven't been used and can move on.

Day 25:  Kitchen Utensils. I tackled this one on the pots and pans day so instead I went through the glasses and cups. I had a some from when B was younger that he doesn't need any longer. I did clear them out a while ago but they needed doing again. There were also some glasses in there that I don't use and were just taking up space.

Day 26:  Shoes. I thought this was fairly under control, however, I did get rid of 3 pairs that I don't like or are to old and ratty. I also have two pairs of boots whose soles have gone which I have now put in a bag in the car to take to the shoe repairer. It is something I have been meaning to do for a while and every time I drive past I say to myself that I need to take them in. At least now they are in the car so that I can stop next time I am driving by.

Day 27:  Belts. I don't wear belts so there was nothing to organise so I chose to spend my time today sorting through my DVDs and clearing out some of those that I don't really enjoy that much.

Day 28:  Kids Clothes. Another area that I do keep pretty much on top of. B doesn't have a lot of storage space in his room so I go through his clothes twice a year at the change of seasons and clear out what doesn't fit. I do have a few shirts in his close that he won't wear (he doesn't like buttons) but keep them in his closet hoping he may change his mind.

Day 29:  Pens, Pencils. My pens and pencils are very well contained. However, I have a friend who used to give me really cute fluffy pens which I had held onto even though they didn't work any longer. I had been debating for a while about what to do with them so have decided that I don't need to hold onto them any longer.

Day 30:  Books. Another one that I did prior to my garage sale last year but did another look through and managed to find a few more to get rid of.

Day 31:  5 Challenges to go on with. I haven't done them yet with holidays and having some behaviour issues to deal with B at the moment but will get to them when he starts kinder:

1. "Doodle drawers" - these are B's craft drawers which are a real mess at the moment and needs a cull/tidy up.
2. Shed - need to go through all the stuff in the shed as it is really full and a bit of a dumping ground.
3. Under the beds - I really want to get of the containers under the beds. I need the things in (most) of them, however, I do not want to store things under the beds.
4. Folders on desk - I have things in folders on my desk but I need to go through them to check that I need what is in them.
5. Bags - I have a number of bags and there are probably a few that I don't/won't use.

What a great kick start to one of my goals for this year which is to live with less clutter and unneeded things. The stuff that I have cleared out has given me more space to organise what I do have more effectively and to be able to see what else I have to tackle.

Wish me well for the rest of the job!

January Organisation (Part 3)

Before I post my continuing progress here is a photo of what I have donated to the op shop this week.

Day 17:  Condiments in Fridge. I put this one off for a couple of days as I got a new fridge (yay me!) so decided to do the clean up whilst transferring things from the old fridge to the new one. I only had to get rid of 2 jars that were expired and they all fit nicely onto the fridge door. It was interesting because before Peter posted this challenge I was going to buy containers to put on the shelves to keep the condiments together and organised. I really like his idea of containing them to the door instead - nice and easy to see what I've got and encourages me to use them regularly.

Day 18:  Under the Sink.  Just tidied things up here and got rid of a few things that were left behind by the previous tenant (after 2.5 years he's not wanting them back). Moved some things that were just lying loose around the laundry that really belonged there as well. Also gave it a really good clean too.

Day 19:  Magazines. I went through all my magazines prior to my garage sale last year. I had three boxes of magazines which I have been trying to sell for the last few months purely because I was hyperventilating at the thought of all the money I had spent on them and would have liked to get back at least a little of it. However, it has been a few months and I was not able to sell them so I just bit the bullet and donated them to the op shop.

Day 20:  Flat surface. Again, this is another one I put off as the one I wanted to tackle was the kitchen benches but I have to wait for my old fridge to go so that I could rearrange the kitchen. This will happen over the weekend so can't wait to get stuck into it.

Day 21:  Kid's toys. Peter's challenge was to get rid of all toys that are not age appropriate. I suppose I am lucky because I only have one child and not having any more so I don't have to hold to toys for other children. I keep a box in my room for B to put toys he doesn't want anymore to donate and he is pretty good at putting things in there. We usually have a conscious toy purge prior to birthday and Christmas to make room for what may come. Also, now that he is getting pocket money and buying some toys himself I am going to institute the "one in, one out" rule so that if he buys something another toy has to go.

Day 22:  Medicine Cabinet. I don't really have a medicine cabinet so I used this time to clean out the bathroom cupboards. I threw out a lot of creams, lotions, etc that I have had for way too long and haven't used.

Day 23: Pots, Pans and Appliances. Another area that is fairly well organised as I cook a lot and only have a limited amount of cupboard space so don't any appliances that I don't use. I did take the opportunity to go through the utensil drawer and cleared things out of there that I don't use or have duplicates of. Because who needs more than one apple corer or melon baller?

So another great week of organising, cleaning and purging. And there is now only a bit over a week to go. This challenge has been great to achieve lots in a minimum of 10 minutes a day and then to also give me the impetus to move forward throughout the year. I'm really looking forward to living with less clutter around me.

January Organisation (Part 2)

So here is the continuation of Peter Walsh's January Organisation challenge:

Day 10:  Platters, Trays Tins.  Another 10 minutes well spent. I didn't think that I needed to get rid of anything in this area but with my totally ruthless hat on there a few things that I haven't used at all since I moved in here 2.5 years ago or not used in a while so they have gone!

Day 11:  Linen Press. I have a linen press, however, it did not have any linen in it. As I keep my sewing machine right next to it I have tended to store some craft supplies in it. The intention was that it would have the stuff I needed to use whilst sewing, i.e. threads, etc. It had got a bit out of hand, however, and was full of only craft supplies and other stuff. As I had cleared some space in my bedroom I moved some things in there. I have now got some linen in there, put some in the op shop pile and have got rid of boxes (read sold) under both my and B's beds that was where the linen was being stored. My aim is to not have it as jammed in as it is at the moment and to have most of my linen in there.

Linen actually in the Linen Closet!

Day 12:  Wardrobe. When I had my garage sale last year I cleared out quite a few clothes so it wasn't a huge job today. I did clear out a few things that I haven't worn for ages or don't like anymore. There are also a few (summer) things that I wasn't sure of so I have turned the coathangers around the wrong way. If, at the end of summer, I still haven't worn them I will pass them on then.

Day 13:  Spice Rack. Another easy one. All my spices are in Tupperware containers filed alphabetically so quite organised. I did use the time to clean all the outside of the containers and the caddies that they sit on. I had some that needed a top up so did that at the same time. Also the bench area where they sit also has the toaster on so I gave that and the bench a really good clean.

Day 14:  T-Shirts. One that I thought was okay but when I actually went through the drawer I did find some that were really ratty but I was just holding on to for sentimental reasons so they went in the bin. Some others are from when I used to go to the gym and I have held onto them for when I start going again, however, they are really not comfortable for me so they have gone in the op shop pile.

Day 15: Rest Day. Being half way through the challenge, Peter gave us the day off and said to spend the 10 minutes doing something for ourselves. We had a really early morning this morning so I spent the time this afternoon having a little doze on the couch. Luxury!

Day 16:  The Top Shelf in a Closet. The idea of this one was going through one of those top shelves where you tend to just put things. I chose the kitchen as I store things on top of the cupboards that I don't have room for in a cupboard and also there is one cupboard above the pantry which is HUGE so has the space for lots of stuff. There were a few things that I cleared out but again not a lot as I went through this last year prior to my garage sale. I got rid of a couple of lunch boxes/containers as there were more than we need.
So I am now over half way through and not only am I getting a lot more organised but I have a much cleaner house too as I'm giving things a good clean whilst I am organising. Looking forward to the rest of the challenge! I now need to make a run to the op shop to offload some of the stuff that I have decided to get rid of. Will post the photo of that next week!

Here is where you can view Part 1 of the challenge.

Keeping CHRISTmas.

A bit behind on the posting. I did mean to have this done before Christmas but got caught up with all the other things that needed to be done. It really can be an insane time of year. The lead up to Christmas with lots of tired, hot and grumpy people around. The end of the school year with lots of tired, hot and grumpy people and kids around. In the past I have tended to just roll with it as best I could and know that come Boxing Day can just collapse in a heap and watch the cricket.

Since B's arrival I have found my priorities have changed. I have always observed the CHRISTmas part of Christmas but my desire to focus on the real meaning of Christmas has increased. In previous years I have been able to keep the focus on Jesus really well, however, this year it has been a challenge. At kinder they went hard and early with Christmas stuff which really just revolved totally around Santa, Santa and more Santa. It has been a real struggle to counteract that, keep the focus on Jesus and not build any expectations in him about Santa.

We have a few traditions for Christmas.

One is to go to Target to purchase a gift for charity. I choose Target's program as it is linked to the Uniting Church. We have gone every year and B chooses a toy for a boy his age. So this year he chose 2 "Cars" toys. We usually do it in early December before the shops get too crazy. He was really sad that there are some children who would not get any presents for Christmas and was really keen to buy them presents. In fact, anytime we walked past Target in December he wanted to go in and buy another toy for another child!

Our Gingerbread

Christmas Tree cakes - red velvet cupcake with a strawberry on top covered with icing

We also make homemade gifts to give to friends and people that help B (child care staff, swimming teacher, etc). As he loves cooking we make gingerbread in Christmas shapes. We package them up in either a coffee cup or on a plate. He loves handing them out to everyone. We also made Christmas Tree cakes this year as well.

We have quite a few nativity sets around the house as well. I got a Fisher Price one which has been good as it is child friendly. This year I was able to put the more precious one out within his reach as well. He has loved interacting with the figures and moving them around and arranging them. At one stage Mary was riding to Bethlehem on a sheep!!

One day I was talking to a friend on the phone and she said that her daughter was dressing up as Mary. I told B and said he could put his Joseph costume on. I picked this up a couple of years ago post Christmas when the shops were clearing out their Christmas things. He thought that was a great idea and his stuffed dog then became baby Jesus and was wrapped in blankets. Then he got a box that we had lying around became the manger for baby Jesus. For the week before Christmas he went to a number of places in his Joseph costume carrying his manger.

Joseph with Baby Jesus

I also got a book called "The Legend of Saint Nicholas". It was really good to give an explanation of where the Santa tradition came from and that spirit of giving to others. Apparently there are other books in the series and I am looking forward to getting them for next Christmas.

I have wanted to make a Jesse tree. Unfortunately I didn't get around to it this Christmas but it is high on my list to make this year for next Christmas.

Our Christmas tree decorated by B and one of our nativity sets

I would love to hear of any traditions you have for Christmas, particularly how to keep the focus on Jesus and not the commercial side.





I Have Taught You Well.

Totally pinched the title of this post from Star Wars!! It's been what has been running through my head whenever I thought about this post.

Last week I re-organised B's "fluffy toys". I took them out of the container that was disintegrating and that they didn't fit in and put them in this lovely wooden box that my brother made in high school. Yep it's pretty old and has held together quite well considering it was made by a high school student.

When I did the change over I culled a few toys that I felt he didn't play with and probably wouldn't play with. There were more than could fit in the box but I was okay with the lid being open and the toys piled up a little. However, that was not what B wanted. He insisted that he be able to close the lid!

So we pulled the toys out one by one and he decided whether to keep or give away each one. As we put all the keepers back into the box the lid still didn't close all the way. So the lid was opened and more toys were pulled out.

So here is the box full of fluffy toys that he has decided that he doesn't need anymore. They will be going to our friend who will regift them to children who need them. It has been really good to have this avenue as it helps him put a "face" to where his toys go. To explain that there are some children who do not have any toys but that they can enjoy ones he doesn't want is really good.

I am so proud of B. He is a lot better than me about letting go of stuff and it is actually inspiring me to let go of a lot more of my stuff. I know all the theories about decluttering but the practice of letting go is hard. I really need to get on top of this while he is good at letting go of this things and before he starts to question why I hold onto things I don't use anymore.

This has been a really awesome lesson to learn from my child. I would love to hear any stories of similar lessons you have learnt from unexpected sources.

Now if I could only get him to wear underpants........................