All Day Buffet

I sometimes call my kitchen an All Day Buffet.  I have never actually been to an All Day Buffet, but I imagine it would look like what we have going on over here!

Y'all, I seriously feel like I need to install a toilet in there, I am in my kitchen all the time. 
And I don't mean Betty Crocker-in' it up.  It resembles very little cooking.  It is more like fetching.  And it is only for M.  L is still nursing and immobile...what am I gonna do when there are 2 making requests.  I am usually pretty organized and I love getting a "system" down that works for our family.  But this is NOT working. 

You see I am too chicken to let my 3 year old start opening the fridge to get his own stuff.  He is way to interested in what it going on in there.  The cleanup is for a post all its own!  Crumbs that could feed us all for weeks!

I want to start out by saying that I am in no way complaining about feeding my children.  I just feel like there has to be some better system out there that could work for us...or is this just life for us right now?

This is how the morning goes....just the MORNING.
L wakes up, I nurse him.  (feeding someone)
I make myself a cup of coffee.
A little while later I feed L rice cereal. (feeding someone)
M wakes up and I pour him a sippy cup of milk. (feeding someone)
M watches some toons while I make him breakfast. (feeding someone)
M wants another piece of toast/waffle/bagel/pancake.
       (I don't make two in the first place because sometimes he doesn't eat the first one.)
Talk him into a yogurt/banana, knowing he is going to eat another ______. (negotiation with mini Jack-Bauer)
Fetch said yogurt or banana. (feeding someone)
It is here that I admit to you that M eats breakfast while watching toons instead of at the table.  Simply because we got into this habit when L was an itty bitty newborn. 
Fetch more milk, or juice. (feeding someone)
"Kindly" remind M that he JUST ate breakfast when asking  for a snack 15 min later. (refusing to feed someone)
I realize I haven't eaten breakfast myself.  Make self breakfast. 
Clean up living room and kitchen since both were made messy during breakfast...If I get around to it!

Begin to think about lunch plans, usually while nursing L mid-morning. (feed someone)
M asks what's for lunch?  (I smile because the way he says it and the look on his adorable little face melts me.  He smiles. knowing he could talk me into buying him a 2011 Caddy at this moment)
Begin process for lunch...where we do sit at the table.  Sometimes we eat together, sometimes we don't. 


I would really like some advice on this one.   I know some of y'all have this down, with multiple multiple kids!!  Please tell me how you handle meal times when you are at home ALL DAY (Buffet). 

Holding It Down

There are some days when I am holding down this fort.  Ask me again tomorrow.

No I have not showered, but I have changed my clothes numerous times, due to a tiny person's bodily fluids  I have fed one child 5 times and the other one 2.  I have gotten some things done today.  Can I get a woo-hoo?

WOO HOO!!!!

January is a fresh start every year.  I don't believe in New's Years Resolutions, but I do like to get a handle on my "season".  Yes, I know it's almost February, and I am just now getting a handle on my season...moving on!

In the past few weeks I decided to get a GRIP.

Here is what I vowed to do:  and P.S. I know it is rare, but today I got it all done!!!  Ask me tomorrow.

Make a MEAL PLAN each week.
check...this has helped my attitude about cooking and grocery shopping.

Make and use a CLEANING PLAN.  I blogged about it here.
Today I did a bathroom and my kitchen bc my hubby was off yesterday, and I was lazy!

Do some sort of EXERCISE 3 times a week (hey, it's a start)
This morning Jillian kicked my back side, and my toddler's...he actually uttered the words "I'ma sleepy" before nap today.  Yes, he sounds Italian.  He also says "I canna do it-a-bya my self!"
I love you Jillian Michaels!

Complete SCHOOL TIME twice a week.
We started the letter E this week and he is still loving it...he asks me to do it EVERYDAY.  I hope he keeps this excitement for learning up.  We aren't doing much, but he's only almost 3!  Something is better than nothing right now. 

Work out my "WORK SCHEDULE".  I clean two houses twice a month.  My old schedule was making me NUTS!  It was always changing and some weeks were super crazy while others were just crazy. It made me crazy.  Now I have decided on a rotation that just ties up every Wednesday.  Isn't that simple?  Why didn't I think of it before?  Why didn't I think of it at all?  Thanks Dear Mama for listening to me vent and offering up your awesome advice.  If you want to give her a call to help you fix all your problems, her number is...

On top of all this I also worked to protect our neighborhood wildlife.  Some fool was shooting the geese in the marsh across the street from our house.  I put in an emergency call to 911, luckily someone else had already reported it.  Unfortunately, this call probably put me over my limit for placing emergency calls.  Some not so emergency-ish.  Hopefully they wipe the slate clean for 2011?  I guess I will have to stick to citizen's arrests, if not.
So in conclusion, today I held it down!!!  Ask me tomorrow.

WFMW: This is How I Clean...Or Don't

I am in a special Season of life right now.  You can read all about it here.  I used to have it somewhat under control.  I didn't realize this in my previous Season.  The one with only one child, who was potty trained and communicated with words, not various cries.

Not that I can distinguish between them.  I just go down the list.

hungry? wet? poopy? spit up all over yourself? want to be held? don't want to be held? too tired? not tired enough? brother's being too loud? tired of your swing, bouncy seat, cradle, bed????????  YIKES!

My house is a disaster zone.  Things are everywhere.  I go to bed at night and they are in their place and then twelve seconds after I wake up, they are not.  But, I can say, my house it sanitary.

Before having Scut, my precious, cuddle-bug...I worked out a system for myself.  It wasn't what I had always done, but I stuck with it long enough to find that it worked.  It worked when I was WAY too pregnant, and it has worked for me for the past 5 weeks.   My strategy, keeping my home clean all along so it never gets to that "What is growing in my bathroom???" stage.

Sounds too easy?  Well, it may not work for you, and it may not work for me in a couple months :)

The first two weeks I did this system required much deeper cleaning.  Then after that, it was just upkeep.

Monday: Clean my KITCHEN.  This includes whatever needs to be done on top of the daily stuff, such as the dishwasher, counter wipe down, and sweeping the floors.  
Honestly, after the first two weeks, I got to where I could do this in 30 minutes, when uninterrupted.  Like I get 30 min uninterrupted now.  Hey I still get it done at some point.

Tuesday:  Clean my BATHROOMS.  I have a secret weapon for these!  They are called Clorox Wipes.  I keep a container in each bathroom, on the counter.  I splurged on these before having the baby but have been finding them either FREE or dirt cheap.  Keeping these clean has eliminated my past habit of ignoring the bathrooms because they were sooo bad.  Denial is unhealthy, I know!

Wednesday: Clean my FLOORS.  This includes mopping the kitchen if it was left undone, bathroom floors, hardwoods, and vacuuming.

Thursday: DUSTING is disgusting, but it has to be done.  This includes our bedroom and living area.  I don't dust the kiddos rooms every week.  I also change and wash our bed linens.


Friday: De-clutter the house and do any something on my never ending To Do List. (example: change out pictures in frames so that we have some pictures of our second child in the house)

Here's what I love about this method.  If I don't get to clean the kitchen on Monday because of a doctor's appointment, last minute play date, or its just a crazy kind of day, I simply get it done the next Monday.  It is not going to kill me or any of us for the kitchen to only get cleaned every two weeks.  

Also, if I only have a few minutes to squeeze in some cleaning, this method gives me a focus.  Usually, once I go five minutes, I find that I really have more time than that.

WFMW...Returning Items to Friends.

Here's my WFMW tip....and thanks to We Are That Family for the Linky Party!

We have a very handy set of hooks hanging on the wall next to our garage door.  When I have an item (book, toy, etc.) I need to pass on to a friend or return to the store, I place it in a grocery sack and hang it on a hook.  There is one little problem-o with this system.  I can't see what's in the bag to know where it needs to go.

So I grabbed one of my new little organizers from Ikea and threw in a stapler, some note cards, and a sharpie.  Now when I put the item to be returned in the bag, I label the outside using the cards.

Now I know exactly what needs to go where and the cards are a reminder that something needs to be taken with me.  Problem-o solved!

Making Your Home Sing Monday: Toddler Art Organization

Nan, over at Momstheword, is hosting Make Your Home Sing Monday!  Here she encourages her readers (myself included) to share how we have made our home a more enjoyable place to be each week.  

Have you ever had that feeling?  That feeling of "I know I should be doing _________ because (God commands it,  it makes things easier, my children love it.....).

Well, I have had that feeling for a while now about my 2 year old and his "art time".  

I loved doing art activities with my first grade classes the five years I spent in the classroom.  I had all the supplies I needed at my fingertips.  I was very organized, and I knew what was age appropriate.

I am going to admit it folks.  I am totally learning as I go when it comes to art and a toddler.  I know the basics, crayons, markers, finger paints, watercolors, playdough.  I just don't have my act together.

Part of it is about the clean up, part of it is the supervision, there's a lack of materials, and knowledge of what he should be able to handle and what he shouldn't.  I am going to ask for your help in a minute, so get ready.

This weekend I came across this at a yard sale!!!  It was $3 and I screamed to me..."Take me home.  I can help you with all the homeless art stuff that falls out of the hall closet each time you open it."

A couple hours later,  all of our coloring books, crayons, markers, stickers, finger paints, colored pencils, drawing paper, and misc. other art stuff had a NEW HOME!!!!  You can't see it all but its in there, and it fits so neatly on a shelf in our hall closet (right near where we get our art on).

My attitude about art time had already improved because I had everything in ONE PLACE!!!

We even painted with watercolors and then finger paints...BACK TO BACK...my toddler was in heaven.

That's where the whole "home singing" thing happened.  Something that cost me very little, and took very little time to do, had already made my life so much easier, and made my toddler so very happy.  I promised him to do art time much more often.  I am not promising every day...but I am going to try.  And I am going to pray about this (whether you think it's silly or not)  because it's a discipline issue, art time, menu planning, quiet time, cleaning, wasting time...the list goes on!

Send me some tips, folks!  That art organizer has a gazillion pockets and lots of room to grow.  

What other materials do I need in there?

What are some age appropriate art activities that won't break the budget or make me pull my hair out?

What advice to you have for clean up?  My boy loves to help, and he is great about following my guidelines, like staying at his table to do playdough...(most days).

I hope seeing our art supplies organized encourages you, and I can't wait to be encouraged with your advice!

Robin's Laundry Room Makeover (OAP Challenge) Part One

So we have been talking about our OAP Challenge, and you saw my laundry space in one of my recent posts.  Well, my partner in crime Robin has sent her laundry room "before" pics!

Robin's laundry space is just off her living room and opens with double doors.  She has (drum roll pul-eese) not one, but TWO shelves.  Can you tell I am a little jealous of the extra storage???? Oh and is that a drying rod I see there in the pic???? Super Jealous now. 

Well we are headin' to IKEA and The Container Store Monday to do some thrifty shopping for these rooms...toddler free by the way...thanks to G-G!!!!

Laundry Room Makeover (OAP Challenge) Part Two

So if you are catching up with me you will want to check out my post about our OAP Challenge.
This weekend I finished painting the laundry room and I posted my "before" pics here.
Today I got busy on a little crossover project. 
After cleaning everything out this weekend and purging lots of stuff that did not belong in the laundry room I saw this:

 

That's what I said.  Wow, I hadn't seen that space clutter free since we moved in!!!

My mind got-ta-goin' and I thought...What if I use this empty space as a "multi-purpose" surface. 

Many of the laundry rooms I covet see in Blogland have countertop space...even a hinged counter over the washer and dryer.  Well, since the budget's a little too snug for front loading machines right now, and I know I don't want to have to raise it each time I want to put in clothes, I quit dreamin' and I let that one go.

My mind then went to this...

 

one of those spaces that makes you very unhappy every time you see it.

Its our hall closet that gets used as a "throw everything without a home here" space!  One of the monsters that lives in there is our gift wrap bag.  It gets crushed by the vacuum cleaner and I can never find what I need! ARG!

So I decided to organize and move my gift wrap materials, and came up with this...

One old laundry basket later....My new Gift Wrap Station!  It fit perfectly between the wall and the dryer  Yippee Skippee!  And remember this?

 

I plan to sew up a little mat to keep on top of our dryer, that will catch spills and make a nice little work surface, perfect for gift wrapping or whatever else I want to use it for!   So long Clutta'!!!!

Laundry Room Makeover (OAP Challenge) Part One

So I talked all about the OAP (Organization Accountability Partners) Challenge in this post.  We chose to start with our Laundry Rooms/Spaces.

Here is the down and dirty on my (Jess') laundry room!

You walk through our laundry room from the garage.  I rarely allowed guests to come through this way because of our previous litter box.  Long story short...we found new homes for our cats (they moved out together and are now living on a farm) and therefore the litter boxes were burned no longer needed.

As you enter from the garage, you pass the washer and dryer and then walk into our kitchen.  I am grateful for this space but it is small.  It is not my dream laundry room, but it is what it is and I have decided to make the most of it this month.

The walls are Kilz Balsam Beige and I have decided to go with a beige, black, and white color scheme.
We have painted since I did the tour of my home on here so I will just show the most recent pics.

 These are the builder installed shelves that I can't stand.   I am hoping the cabinet fairy will bring me some dirt cheap tear out cabinets that need a little love before being installed.  Just sayin'!

 

  

As you can see in the pictures, the paint job was incomplete.  Well, I finished that up this weekend after my hubby moved the washing machine and dryer.  That was a job that was LONG overdue!!!!  I dusted, mopped, and finished the paint job before he moved everything back.   Part One...finish paint job is complete.

The "Sisters After Birth" O.A.P. Challenge

Let me start by explaining the title.
The Lord didn't give me a sister growing up.  I was an only child.  I turned out fine.  (no comments allowed about that).
In 2006, He sent me Robin.
I knew by looking at her pocketbook that we were gonna be lifelong friends.  I told her this.
I have a sister, God just didn't give her to me until later in life.
Knowing us, if we had grown up together, we would have caused a lot more trouble.
He knew what He was doing. 

Now back to the challenge.

When we bought our home almost 5 years ago...it was a plain blank slate.  I had never decorated a house before and expensive, magically appearing due to credit cards, furniture was not an option.  And boy oh boy am I glad I had a hubby that would say no!!!! 

It has been a process over the years.  It is definitely still in progress but we've come along way baby! 

But with decorating comes organization.  I love organizing (especially other people's stuff) that I don't have to see get messed up!

I have a toddler.  We have purged a lot of stuff.  But we still have a lot of stuff.   I also have a lot of unfinished projects.  Did I mention I have a toddler???  Come see my half painted laundry room that has been that way for months!

Now I know you are thinking...get on with it Jess, what does my sister after birth and organization have to do with one another.

Well we Robin and Jess have decided to become Organization Accountability Partners. 

I got the idea from I'm and Organizing Junkie.  Not the OAP part, cause I came up with that snazzy-ness (lets just give credit where credit is due folks!).  jk  She basically suggested choosing a room/project a month and focusing on "getting it together" in that space.  She encourages that you take pics of the space before and after.  I loved that part!

I liked this plan.  It requires focus.  Something I struggle with.  And I have Robin to get me on track.  She can pop in anytime to see my progress, and will not judge my mess.  We can bounce ideas off one another and celebrate together when the project is complete.

I encourage you to do this with us.  You don't have to pick the same room or space, just find a bud and get to it.  We will be posting pictures of before and after.  Our first challenge is the LAUNDRY ROOM...dun dun dun!!!!!  It all kicks off in March so be on the lookout for our progress and we hope you will join us.

WFMW...My Little Multi-Purpose Space

One day, down the road, I would love double love to have a multi-purpose room, bonus room, whatever you want to call it.  My hubby has an office/man room, and he has generously offered it up to me any time I need the space, but its just not the same.

I love our home.  But it does not have a space for me to:
-organize and clip coupons
-sew
-get crafty
-write out bills (correction: my hubby does this, maybe I would do it if I had the space :)
-bible study
-anything else my little heart desires.

I gave it up and decided to turn my dining room into my multi-purpose space.  We don't eat in there often anyway so why not?

The dining room hutch has always been used for decoration.  I needed space.  The table is completely cleared off and we rarely eat on it.  I needed a flat surface.


Dining room with carpet + 18 month old = I am not willing to go there (often).

I used the empty space on the top of the hutch to house cookbooks, bible study materials, and a basket that holds pens, notepads, coupon books, and other random needed materials.

I used the drawers for crafty stuff.  I also keep my sewing machine and craft baskets in our master closet, so The Wookster isn't tempted to get crafty himself.
  

I have a 3 drawer organizer on the bottom shelf of the hutch (not shown), along with a basket of cars to keep Wookie busy if I am working here while he is awake.

Its not the bonus/multi-purpose room of my dreams, but it WORKS FOR ME!

A Cleaning Lady's Perspective

So some of you know that I clean a few homes to make some extra money. Let's call me The Cleaning Lady.

As some of you also know...I love to organize. That does not mean that I am always am organized but I love the act of looking at a space before, purging, organizing, finding new homes for things, and then basking in the after.

That's why I was so glad I caught Oprah with Peter Walsh yesterday for the "Clean Up Your Messy House Tour". Plus they were at Georgia Tech, the hubby's alma mater.

Let's just say that since then I have been looking at my SURFACES differently.

I always seem to concentrate on drawers and cabinets and closets. Nice. But who sees them? I now want to focus on using storage for storage and leaving surfaces clearer. This definitely cuts down on clutter and gives the room a larger feel. As some of you have seen from the Tour of My Home post, we have a very very open floor plan. I need clear surfaces!!!!!!!!

Ok, so back to the point of this. Let me give it to you from The Cleaning Lady's perspective. My least favorite thing to do when cleaning someones home is moving all those little knick knacks! UHHHHHH!!!!!

One of my pals/clients has the most enjoyable home to clean....Janet!
Janet has triplets in the first grade, a husband who works out of town a lot, and she works full time. Its not like she spends lots of time organizing and tiddying up. BUT her home is always clutter free! And no she doesn't stay up all night the night before straightening up.

What do I love about her home?
She only has a few decorative things out and most things that are out serve a purpose.
The surfaces in her home are relatively clear and therefore easy to clean.

So I know what you are thinking. "I don't have anyone clean my house!" but you clean your house. Take it from me. Wouldn't you want to make it easier on yourself?

Try clearing some clutter.
Clearing some surfaces.
Donating/Selling/Trashing some things that serve no purpose or have no sentimental value.

Then clean your home and see how much easier it feels. I am starting in the kitchen!

Room of Doom

So momstheword asked What's Your Room of Doom? Go check it out and tell me what room in your home is the worst to get motivated to clean.

I would die if anyone who did not know me well saw my master bedroom. It is where everything gets thrown. DH's business is all in order in there but mine is HORRID!!!!

There are my clothes everywhere, shoes too. My dresser is covered with tons of random stuff. We have our coffee table in there to protect Wook's head, and it is the "catch all" space. Our bed is rarely made :( sorry mom!

It is embarrassing. I am going to go pick it now. Embarrassment is a good motivator! And no I am not going to share photos...its that bad! Thanks momstheword!