April 13, 2011

Boys Room, step 1!

Currently this is still Button's room but by the end of this month the boys will be moving in together. We had an apparently cheap toy shelf in Button's room the last 2 years. I wanted to move it out and get them a new cleaner looking shelf but was going to wait another 2 weeks. Yesterday Button broke the shelf (it was dying a slow death ;)) so I decided today to move the new shelf in their room (was in our livingroom the last month, need to get another to replace this one ;)) I think it looks great and is going to keep their room looking nice and clean, hopefully anyways ;)

Purge Purge Purge!

Spent this afternoon purging upstairs... Im not done yet but this is a GREAT beginning! I went through our bedroom and some of Button;s room. Getting rid of a bunch of toys, books, picture frames, etc we dont need or use anymore! This entire tupperware container is FULL of stuff, as is the wicker basket... I need to drive them down to Salvation Army tonight, alone with a garbage bag full of clothes we dont need anymore (dropped another one off yesterday!).

Feeling great about all this clutter being gone! Please excuse the location of this picture lol I had to hide the items in the bathroom until bedtime so Button doesnt freak out about some of the toys (which he no longer plays with but you know the second he sees them leaving he will want ;))

April 10, 2011

Clutter Rehab - Tips so far...

I'm now about half way through Clutter Rehab book! She has awesome tips, heres a couple I really like and plan to implement right away:

1. Have a daily walkabout - With the kids, walk around and find things room to room that dont belong in that room and return them to their rightful place.

2. Never leave a room empty handed - Good way to put stuff away and avoid clutter, make sure you have something to put away everytime you leave a room!

3. Take Pictures of Sentimental things - To avoid saving things you're never going to use but are still attached to for sentimental reasons, take a picture of it to keep the memory of it. I think this will be a great idea for Kids art projects! Instead of keeping all the art the kids do, I think I will take pictures of them (save some ;)) and make a nice photobook for artwork they've done!

4. Create a backpack station - A problem in our home! We need a station for backpacks & coats so theyre not just throw on the floor making a mess! She says "Having defined areas for stuff in your home provides clear direction as to where things belong and need to be stored". I think this is especially important with children to teach them how to put things where they belong. I play on making a backpack/coat station this week!

5. Use Hook's for kids coats instead of hangers - To go with the backpack station. Makes sense! Kids can easily hang their coats on the hook!

6. Menu Plan and Make a list for the grocery store- Saves money & time! I already do this most weeks ;) Just need to get more consistent!

7. Have a central Calendar - Gonna get a new, bigger calendar to put by the front entrance so we can record all activities on it (as well as my Ipod touch ;)). This way everyone knows where everyone needs to be!

8. Colour Code the kids (and us too!) - Something I learned about a year ago that I thought was VERY interesting idea! I need to give it another go. Every family member has a colour, then has items in the home in those colours (ex. Tooth brush, towels, face cloths, etc...) so theres never any confusion as to what belongs to who. Makes cleaning up easier cause if you see a Yellow towel on the floor, you know that towel belongs to ___... I a crazy household with soon to be 5 people, I'm gonna try this out!!

So those are just some of the great tips Im learning from Laura! Cant wait to continue reading!

April 7, 2011

New Book!

Last night I went to Chapters and purchased a new book that's out. Im gonna start reading it tonight at work! It's written by one of my favorite blogs owner, Organized Junkie's Laura Wittmann and its called Clutter Rehab!



Looking forward to applying all the tips I learn from it to our home! Ill let you all know how its going!