LAST DAY!!!

I am so glad I am not a professional blogger because this has been hard!! 

For this last day, I am making some commitments for things I know I need to do to simplify my life, but haven't done yet.

Here goes:
1. I know from my organization projects that I need nothing. I have enough soap, toiletries, envelopes, flour, tea, batteries, post-its, pens, pencils, glue, etc. to last me probably the rest of my life. It is a bit embarrassing. I am going to think long and hard before I purchase ANYTHING. I was in Wal-Mart the other day and was temporarily tempted by some of their fall items. Then I told myself, "Leave it here!!" I have too much stuff. No more is coming in. 

2. When my newspaper subscription runs out in December, I am not renewing. I rarely read it. It piles up and makes me feel guilty. My oldest son and husband love reading the comics, so they get that one section out and leave the rest on the living room floor, and not in a neat pile. I have found out that they can pick their favorite comics and have them delivered to their inbox for a very low monthly fee.

3. I am letting most of my magazine subscriptions expire. I love magazines, but in this season of my life I simply don't have time or energy to read them. I think I will  keep: Taste of Home, Cooking Light, Real Simple, Women's Day, and All You. I may keep Self for exercise motivation. The rest will not be renewed. I should probably go ahead and cancel the rest now, but I am not ready yet. Baby steps! I know even this list is probably more than most people get! I consider this one of my hobbies : ). I love getting a magazine in the mail, and having a stack of unread magazines next to my bed. 

Things I will continue doing:
*putting things away where they belong
*buying Kindle versions of books instead of hard copies
*trying to embrace "good enough" and letting perfection go

I know that the things I have shared are things that have worked for me and may not be applicable to anyone else's life, but hopefully you found at least one thing that might work for you, or been inspired to look for ways to simplify your own life. Thanks for reading!

Simplify Life # 30

I think the best thing I've done to simplify my life is to allow myself to spend the time and money to get my home organized. I have diligently followed the Home Organization 101 Challenge (http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/).I now feel like I can trust my home. I know where things are and where to put them away.

Also, I used to feel labeling things wasn't necessary. Now, I use my label maker all the time, even if it's obvious what is on that particular shelf or in that particular container. I realize this serves three purposes: 
a. can see at a glance what I have since items are grouped together in one place by label
b. I am accountable when I put things away now; I put things away where they belong because of the visual reminder of the label (especially helpful in my lazy susan!)
c. My family can find things, too. 

I am a cheapskate and it has been hard to spend money on plastic organizers, but it is so worth it and it's what I asked for for Christmas this year! 

Simplify Life #29

This one is short and to the point: I unsubscribed from most e-mail newsletters and blogs. Now, my inbox is far less saturated than it used to be. It took about an hour for me to unsubscribe to all of them, but it has been worth it. I also try to be careful when ordering from a new site to make sure to uncheck the box that says I want to get their newsletter! I still have a few favorite sites and blogs that I continue to get e-mails from, but I am quick to unsubscribe to things that pile up or that I am not excited to read. E-mail has become a necessary burden. I try to not have it be another thing adding stress. 

This is from fatmumslim.com and summarizes what I've tried to do:

Simplify Life #28

I keep three baskets on the back staircase leading upstairs: one for shoes, one for dirty kitchen linens, and one for sports shoes/ supplies. We don't have a mudroom, so we need places to store shoes upon entering from our garage. The baskets help with that, and also, since my laundry room is upstairs, I have a place to put the washcloths and towels I use. I also have a small shoe organizer, plus this idea from Pinterest (one of my favorites): 


Hang a set of coat hooks near floor level to use for shoes!
Life is simplified: I have a place for shoes (instead of tripping over them) and a place for sports shoes, and also a way to transport dirty kitchen linens upstairs. 

Simplify Life #27

I donated my ironing board to Goodwill yesterday! I have given up most ironing (I do sometimes have to iron our church clothes) and instead use homemade wrinkle releaser or the wet washcloth in the dryer method.(I also try to take the clothes out when the dryer stops, but that happens maybe 60% of the time.)

Here's the recipe I use for homemade wrinkle releaser:
WRINKLE REMOVER SPRAY:
 1 cup distilled water
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol 
1/4 cup liquid fabric softener
Put in clean spray bottle. ( 8 oz. distilled water, 4 oz. alcohol, 2 oz. liquid fabric softener) 

I have a small foldable ironing board that hangs in my closet that I can still use. I am also considering getting one of these just in case:

http://www.amazon.com/Unknown-L2500-SILVER-Magnetic-Ironing/dp/B0073TCIF6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351462082&sr=8-1&keywords=magnetic+ironing+blanket


A magnetic ironing blanket that adheres to a washer or dryer! 
If I worked outside the home, I know I wouldn't be able to do away with ironing. 

Simplify Life #26

Another way I've simplified our memory keeping is by using keepsake boxes. I basically just throw things in there that are random/don't fit in a scrapbook. I don't even date them; we just go until we fill up a box and then start a new one. The boxes are numbered (I think Jason and Joel are both on their second box). I purchase the decorative cardboard photo-storing boxes from craft stores when they are on sale. I like being able to actually touch the things in the boxes and to go through it. It is definitely not as organized as a scrapbook, but where else would I store the actual tiny bar of Dove that was used to bathe Joel as a newborn in the nursery? (Incidentally, this makes his first box smell wonderful!) I store them in the closet of our guest room. I like getting a different design each time, but would probably stick to a solid color if I had to have them on a bookshelf in the open.

Simplify Life 25

The next two days are ways I've simplified memory-keeping. I used to love to scrapbook and kept up with it for several years. Now, that way of life mystifies me. I don't even read the newspaper anymore; how did I find time and energy to scrapbook??! Sigh. Life is always changing and so are our priorities. That said, I still love keeping track of our family's memories. I have now moved to doing everything online (online clutter isn't clutter, right?). The main site I use is snapfish.com. I am pretty good at getting our photos uploaded there in a timely fashion. (The fair pictures are already in their own album there!) For three years in a row, I made a photo book of our year in pictures on that site, and then waited for a coupon and ordered them. Last year, I loved doing a digital scrapbook. I used this site:
http://www.studioj.com/

It's more expensive, but you can easily be creative and artistic, and I loved the final product. Here are some photos of the different albums:

The three black books are the ones I made on Snapfish. They take up hardly any room on the book shelf!!

This is one of the page spreads from the Snapfish album.

This is one of the page spreads from the Studio J album. It is a much larger album and in a big three-ring binder. You have a lot of choices as to page layouts and colors. I usually go back and glue some other things on some of the pages, like tickets. 

I don't even print out photos anymore. It is so easy to organize photos online and has enabled me to keep up with our yearly albums. 

Simplify Life 24

The housekeeping chores I am worst at: folding laundry and changing the sheets. My husband is great at washing our sheets and putting them back on the bed. I am not. Since I am in charge of the boys' laundry and sheets, this is what would happen: I would finally get around to washing their sheets, and then night would come and they were still wet in the washer. Now, I keep an entire extra set of sheets and a comforter in their bedroom closets, and  while their sheets are washing, I put that set on the bed immediately. It's still one of my least favorite things to do, and sometimes I admit I wait until evening in hopes my husband will take pity on me and put the new set on (he really seems to be faster and less resentful at this task than me.) Finally I am doing a better job at making sure the boys aren't sleeping in dust-mite and dirt ridden beds. Which makes me a good mother, right?

Simplify Life #23

The one where she makes keeping a shower clean easier!
Steps I've taken:
1. Got rid of extra shampoos/ cleansers, etc. This was hard. I love toiletries. The first thing I did in college when I got my own apartment was buy enough shampoo to line the entire bathtub. I'm not kidding. It was fun each day to choose which one to use, but not so fun to clean.Not only do you have to move bottles to clean under them, but they get funky themselves. Also, if you don't have a bathtub, you have to store all those bottles somewhere which makes yet another thing to clean. So, I kept a few shampoo options (how can men limit themselves to one?)but now I don't have one for each day of the week at least! 
2. Got in the habit of using a daily shower cleaner. Not sure it makes much of a difference, but it makes me feel proactive. Here is the one I use:
http://www.amazon.com/Method-Daily-Shower-Cleaner-Ylang/dp/B005DWCVFW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1350948419&sr=8-2&keywords=method+shower+cleaner
It's by Method and has ylang ylang. I read a review once that said something to the effect that while they didn't know what ylang ylang was, it probably crawled around and wore diapers. Ha! It does smell like baby powder and is a bit strong. 
3. Made sure hardly anything was stored on the shower floor. It is too hard to keep clean if there are a lot of things that get wet each day and are perfect breeding grounds for mildew. I got a hanging system from Container Store that doesn't even get wet, so no mildew.

See my daily shower cleaner hanging from the bottom? It makes that basket hang askew but nothing falls out. The brush in the top basket is explained below.

4. Implemented the idea from Pinterest of using those fillable kitchen sponges (they sell them at Dollar Tree!) with a mixture of half vinegar, half blue Dawn dish soap. At least once a week, while I am still in the shower, I use it to scrub everything. It is amazingly fast and effective, but the sponge is falling apart rather quickly. No worry; I stocked up from Dollar Tree!

By the way, blue Dawn does seem to be the secret to a lot of life's problems. And blue Dawn really has no substitute. So, my life is easier because one of my most dreaded cleaning jobs, the shower, is simpler! 

Simplify Life #22

Craft totes!! They make my life easier because they hold so much and can be easily moved around. The one above is the one where I stash my make-up and brushes/ hairspray/ comb (and I may or may not have about 10 lipsticks and lip glosses- don't judge). I store it on a wire shelf in my bathroom cabinet and pull it out and set it on the counter when I am getting ready. I also just pack the entire thing when I travel. I also use one to keep the school supplies I use often on a shelf in our schoolroom. I put a small flower pot filled with dried beans in the main compartment of this one to hold pens. I just bring it to my desk when I need it:



(Yes, I hoard lipstick and dry-erase markers.) I got my craft totes inexpensively at Wal-Mart. The direct-sales business 31 sells some cute ones. Here's one I found online that's so cute and inexpensive I may go ahead and order it:
http://www.amazon.com/Allary-Project-Tote-Inch-Chocolate/dp/B000XAJ4QI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1350947941&sr=8-2&keywords=craft+tote
Oh, and I could probably use them for craft supplies... if I was a crafter! 

Simplify Life #21

When we moved from our last house, I loved living in a "staged" house with nothing on the bathroom or kitchen counters. But it's just not feasible for day-to-day living because there are things you have to have easy access to everyday! For my bathroom, my compromise is a cake stand. I keep the things I don't want getting lost in the recesses of a drawer or cabinet on the cake stand. This simplifies my life because the things I need are easy to get to, I don't forget to take my vitamins because they are right there, and it's easy to clean around!

 I love this cake stand and it is the same color as my bathroom walls! I got it at Home Goods several years ago.

Simplify Life #20

I have made a cleaning schedule for myself. There are lots of sites that give suggested ones, but I ultimately had to make my own. Here is mine:
Monday~ bathrooms (includes floors), empty all trash cans, clean litter box
Tuesday~ dust
Wednesday~vacuum carpets
Thursday~stairs
Friday~ hardwoods
I try to do a load of laundry each day and a kitchen clean-up each night. Here is a great site for help with a cleaning schedule, and very similar to what I do:
http://www.cleanmama.blogspot.com/2012/02/clean-organized-how-why.html
Right now she has a "31 days to Clean" challenge going on, which I would have participated in but the Home Organization 101 challenge is all I can handle at the moment!

I keep weekends free and use them for catch-up because honestly I don't think there's a week where I've ever perfectly followed the routine; things always come up or my chronic fatigue kicks in. I am most picky about the bathrooms, which is why they are scheduled for Monday when I usually have the most energy and things haven't had a chance to derail for the week.The cleaning schedule simplifies my life by making sure the basics get done each week, and also I can skip things that aren't on the schedule for that day. 

Simplify Life #19

I keep things where I use them! I have Swiffer dry cloths in nearly every room of the house so I can dust quickly and not have to hunt for them. I have cleaners under every sink in every bathroom. I have found that the less steps involved, the better the chance I will actually do something. I also can "strike while the iron's hot;" if I see something that needs to be done, I can do it at that moment. This is why I also have pairs of tennis shoes stored on my treadmill and another pair stored in my living room corner cabinet (I do workout DVDs in the living room.) Again, less steps, less distraction and thus better the chance I will do what I need to. The small things really add up for me. 

Simplify Life #18

My bedside baskets! Because my side of the bed is away from the bedroom door, I can keep these two containers beside it and they are not visible from the hall. I keep my Kindle, Q&A A Day journal (http://www.amazon.com/Q-A-Day-5-Year-Journal/dp/0307719774/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350678447&sr=8-1&keywords=question+a+day), chargers, and other things in the whitish basket right next to my bed. The brown container is for my magazines. This simplifies my life by giving me a spot to store things I use daily. It keeps the bedside table clear and hides my "junk." If I kept them in a drawer, it would be a pain to find each day,and  I'd probably forget some of it!! (I become more and more ADD each day it seems.)

Simplify Life #17

I love magazines, and cutting out tips, workouts, and recipes from them. To organize these clippings, I stash them in cardboard magazine holders. I have five categories: recipes, health/fitness, Bible/Prayer, Cleaning, and Misc. When I tear or cut out something from a magazine or print something from the Internet, I put it in the right box. This gets it categorized right away. Some things are moved to a more permanent location (like a recipe binder if it's a "keeper" recipe) but most things just stay in this box. I know where it is and I enjoy looking through the things I've kept and purging as needed. I keep the boxes in the bookshelf in my bedroom. 

Simplify Life #16

Magnetic Jewelry clasps
Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Bluecell-magnetic-lobster-extender-Necklace/dp/B0095BK97O/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1350404388&sr=1-1&keywords=magnetic+jewelry+clasp

This came about because of my grandma. Everyday, she had to have her "beads." Her beads were gray, chipped, and faded, but because she had macular degeneration and was legally blind, she didn't know. She didn't feel complete unless she had her beads. All of her jewelry (she loved bracelets, too) had to have magnetic clasps or there was simply no way for her to wear it. You can buy jewelry that is made with magnetic clasps, but I just buy the set above and add them to my favorite necklaces. Necklaces are so easy to put on and to get off again now. Since I am always running late, and seemingly unable to clasp necklaces until the 5th try, I love these! 

Simplify Life #15

I switched from the cheap plastic hangers that were all I could afford when we got married to these. They take up less space and having all the hangers the same looks better. Also, I cannot just pull clothes off, I have to take the hanger down first, so no more loose hangers co-mingling with the clothes. Also, if I run out of hangers, it means an article of clothing must be donated. I am limited to the # of clothing items that I have right now. Usually when I purchase a new item of clothing, a like-item is immediately put into my donate box. If I've just done a purge, I may not do that, but won't need to because a hanger will be available! 

Simplifies my life: forces me not to be lazy and just pull clothes down so all the hangers are together when I need to hang something, helps me limit the amount of clothes I have (again, anything to fight hoarder tendencies is a good thing in my book).

Note: I would love to have my closet organized by color of clothing, but I don't think I would maintain it. I just have long-sleeved shirts together, short-sleeved shirts, and dress clothes. Most of my pants are folded on shelves in my closet. 

Simplify Life 14

This is what I did yesterday and today to simplify my life: organized the linen closet. 
BEFORE & AFTER: (it's in a hallway so I couldn't get back far enough to get the entire closet in one photo; the first picture is the top 3 shelves and the second is the bottom 2 shelves and the floor)

All these organization bins came from Target, but they are selling out and not replenishing their stock; the green was my second choice of color but I couldn't get enough bins in my first choice of color at any Target in the area. 

How this simplifies my life: anything that makes it easier for me to find what I need is great. I also am noticing during Project Organization that I overbuy stuff because I probably didn't realize I already had it. This should cut down on that! Note: I keep pillows in the guest room closet and other bedding in the bedroom closets.

Simplify Life #13

Still in the closet.... I keep a "Donate" bin right on the floor of my closet. It would look better if the floor is clear, but I don't care. I keep a trash bag in the bin and add clothes. It is bulging right now because I have been organizing and purging like a mad-woman lately (and part of that is further exacerbated by finding out a distant relative was featured on an episode of Hoarders). When it's this full, I try to take it ASAP. Luckily, a Goodwill is merely minutes from my house, and another is minutes from my husband's work, so between us we can usually get it out of the house and to Goodwill quickly. This also goes along with another way I simplify: I don't have garage sales. I just donate. So so much simpler and we make sure to claim it on our taxes. This is possible for me because I have BOYS and they are homeschooled and therefore they do not have expensive clothing. If I was buying expensive clothing, I would hold onto it to consign. (I do hold onto Homeschool books and material and consign that because it has sentimental value. I have a bin in the closet for those things, too!)
This simplifies my life by making it easy to purge the extra clothing. I know once the decision has been made for me to "retire" an article of clothing, I better strike while the iron is hot and get it in a bag and out of sight! (I do not go back through stuff in the bag either!)

Simplify Life #12

Two words: jewelry organizer. When we were "staging" our old house before putting it on the market, I realized I had jewelry scattered everywhere: hanging from hooks in the bathroom, on the dresser, etc. I purchased two nice jewelry organizers that hung in our closet. This way, the jewelry was hardly noticeable but still accessible. I loved them so much I still use them, and I can vouch for the fact that jewelry is so easy to put back that I actually do it. Recently, I redid my pantry and used one for small things on the door (I hung it with two Command Hooks). I had originally purchased that one to organize my youngest son's Lego mini-figures, but my husband had since purchased a (much more expensive) organizing system, so the one I purchased was not needed and proved perfect for the pantry (alliteration : ) ). 

Velcro straps hold the necklaces; easy in, easy out. I bought another one with small pockets to hold earrings, watches, bracelets, pins the kids inevitable make for holidays, etc. (I hang medals and head bands around the top).

Here is what the one in my pantry looks like; it holds MIO, 5-Hour Energy drinks that my husband got for free and which I keep hoping will actually work, dry soup mixes, etc. 

Here is a link to the one in my closet with small pockets:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CNQZD/ref=wms_ohs_product

Here is a link to the one in my closet for necklaces:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002E3KYWA/ref=wms_ohs_product

And finally the one I'm using in my pantry:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010XX7ZQ/ref=wms_ohs_product

How this simplifies my life: easy way to put jewelry away,all my  jewelry is in one place and is organized and visible so I actually wear it and can find what I need, small things in pantry are visible and organized.

Simplify Life #11

I did mention these are just my ideas, that have helped me? When I mentioned this idea to a friend last night, she was horrified, but she has a different life, and different needs than me and I know that is what is wonderful about life. This idea that simplified my life: getting rid of my extra refrigerator. Even though it still looked brand new and I only used it maybe 8 months at the old house. In the old house, I loved my refrigerator. We had room for it in the downstairs laundry room. We kept drinks in it. I bought in bulk and kept the extras in it. When we moved here, the only spot for it was the garage. I won't even go into all the reasons as to how that's different than it being in the house, on the same floor, because some of them are admittedly petty. However, I now realize that anything I can do to prevent any hoarding tendencies is a good thing. (This is especially true today, since I discovered my dad's mother's sister's daughter was featured on an episode of Hoarders. It may be in my genes somewhere.) I have lived in this house a year and three months exactly, and I haven't once missed the extra refrigerator, not even at Thanksgiving. I am making do. So, this has simplified my life by forcing me to buy only what I need. And it saves me trips to the dirty garage. 

Simplify Life Day 10

Lazy Susan Simplification

I've always had a love/ hate thing going on with lazy susans. I love that they utilize otherwise wasted space and provide lots of storage. I hate that they are hard to clean and organize. I finally realized that I needed to label each section and stick to it, rather than haphazardly shoving stuff in there. I also covered mine with Press 'N Seal. I know some people have the patience to cut shelf paper or contact paper to fit the round shape (and I even checked out some Internet directions on how to do so) but I am not one of those people. 
I also left a small section on one end clear and labeled it "Current." This is to store ingredients for the current week's recipes.I don't put these ingredients where "they belong" since I'll be using them imminently.  You know how Rachael Ray can just open her lovely sliding pantry and the ingredient she needs is right there? Now I can briefly feel like her when I begin cooking, if at no other time.

I realize it's hard to see the labels, but the section at the top right is "oils" and the bottom is "canned." Top left is for dried fruit/ nut butters (Nutella : )!!!) and the bottom left is for "current." I am using up other ingredients for most of my recipes this week so it is mainly empty except for the salsa and taco seasoning. I won't bore you by showing all the labels.

How this simplifies my life: easy to clean, I know what's in my lazy susan and can actually find what I need, place for current ingredients makes finding/ retrieving them easy.

Simplify Life #9

Today, ways I've simplified grocery shopping. 1.) I don't cut out coupons (except for one case I'll mention). I used to. I have a place in my purse for them. I used to read my sister-in-law's blog (that she no longer runs) about coupon tips. But I had to keep going through them and throwing away the expired ones. And hold onto the Sunday coupons until I actually went through them. Also, most of what I buy is generic or produce. I feel much better since I've let this go. 2.) Only shop at a few stores. I do the bulk of my shopping at BJ's. BJ's periodically mails out coupons specifically for their store. These I do go through and clip coupons IF it is something I buy anyway. (Something about only having to organize coupons by store verses by category works for me.) I keep them in a stack in my purse and go through them before I go in. The other stores I usually shop at are Super Wal-Mart and Kroger. 

I know I could probably save more money if I went to more stores and cut coupons, but it isn't worth it to me. I love Aldi and Trader Joe's because they have much less selection and shopping is much simpler, but I can only go there if I don't have recipes planned for the week  and am winging it because there are always a few ingredients they don't have, which entails another trip to another store. 

How this simplifies my life: less stores, hardly any time spent cutting/ organizing coupons, streamlines the process in general.

Simplify Life #8

I tape recipes and tips inside my cabinet doors and pantry. (When we were getting ready to move from our last house, I carefully removed all the things I'd taped inside the cabinets, laminated them, and then carefully stored them for transport to this house.)In my pantry, I tape guides for how long to store food and breakfast recipes. In other cabinets, I have ideas for quick meals and healthy snack suggestions. Under my kitchen sink, I tape the recipes for the homemade cleaners I use, and ideas on how to clean silver, etc. In the boys' bathroom, I have tips about how to stop hiccups, how to give eye-drops, and how to cut a band-aid so it will stay on a bendy area such as an elbow. In my linen closet, I taped an article that shows how to fold fitted sheets (though I admit now I just use the tip of putting everything inside the pillow case!) In the cabinet where I store my George Foreman grill, I have recipes for grilled vegetables and a chart showing the temperature meat should be when it's done. It's almost like my own version of Pinterest! 

How this simplifies my life: ideas are quickly and easily accessible, they don't get lost, and they are where I need them when I need them.

Simplify Life #7

I took my most-used spices and alphabetized them in magnetic containers. They did sit on a magnetic board on my counter, but I saw a suggestion on Pinterest to put them on the side of  the refrigerator. They are hardly noticeable but handy and ready when I need them!

How this simplifies my life: my main spices are easily accessible, cabinet and counter space freed up, and they are away from the stove (I've heard heat, etc. from cooking can make your spices go bad faster).

Simplify Life #6

Keeping with the morning routine theme, I bring a big glass of water to bed with me so I have something to drink first thing in the morning. I also have protein bars in a basket next to my bed. I have discovered that if I go downstairs before working-out or doing the rest of my morning routine, I get distracted and off-course. I don't eat until after I workout if I am working out first thing, but on mornings I don't exercise, the bars are good to have on hand. 

How this simplifies my life: avoid the rabbit -trails that inevitably ensue and derail my mornings, makes drinking water a given.

Simplify Life #5

I have a "morning routine." Yet some days I forget to take my vitamins. Or scoop the cat box. I don't know why since I do these daily. I blame the kids. To help my sieve-like mind, I use paper door hangers strategically. I have one hanging on my bathroom cabinet to remind me of my morning choirs (and yes, I actually remember to read it!). I also have two on each of the boys' bedroom doors: one with their morning check-list, and one for the days I am feeling ambitious and require them to do a thorough cleaning of their room, which I unabashedly pay them for.

The boys' are laminated for durability, and they can use the dry-erase pen that's attached for the room clean (I don't have them check off the morning checklist; we go over it before we start school). 

How this simplifies my life: less to think about in the morning, boys know what's expected without me having to nag remind them, helps make sure my day at least starts out on the right track.

Simplify Life #4

This didn't simplify my life while I was doing it, but it sure is nice now! Several months ago, I took the time to create a "Home Management Binder." These have different names, and different methods, all of which are easily found in a Google search. I decided to purchase a HUGE  binder and put everything in it. I took all the papers that were in- or on- my desk (some were in folders already, some just in piles) and looked at what categories I had, which then became the tabs in my binder. Many sites suggested categories, and I took some of their advice, but mainly looked at what I already had. Some tab/category ideas that I took from other sites I have already abandoned, like "Pantry and Freezer Inventory." I faithfully documented everything that was in my pantry and freezer, but then never looked at it again and of course now it's out-of-date. I also got rid of the "To Pay" section since I have a separate clipboard on my desk for bills to be paid. I was afraid if I put them in the binder, they would be out of sight, out of mind. 

I keep the binder on my kitchen desk:

It is big, but everything is one place!! I only keep bill stubs for about 6 months, so that will help keep it from growing too large (she says hopefully!). My categories are: To Do (long term projects, not my daily to-dos) Birthdays  Current Activities (includes things like sports schedules)  Home management (my cleaning schedule and check lists)  To Cook (a week's worth of meals with grocery list that haven't been tried yet)  Town/ Neighborhood Info (recycling info, neighborhood ordinances, etc. )Finances (copies of current credit reports plus our check ledger)  Household services (lawn and bug service)  Pets (vaccine and health records)  Medical/Dental (receipts)  Autos (anything related to our cars including taxes)  Menus (take-out menus)  To Dream and Do (usually magazine articles about things to try)  To Visit (brochures that look interesting or magazine articles)  Fitness and Health (workouts or diets from magazines to try)  Then.... the next several section are for bill stubs, so there's a section for each one, like gas/electric, Internet/phone, mortgage, etc. At the very back is a section for Christmas and one for miscellaneous. Also, the very first thing is a business card holder with business cards and a sheet of all the important phone numbers I need.

Binder resources:

Free Printable Cover/ Back Cover/ Spine label:

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/householdsavings/tp/Household_Notebook.htm

Free Printables for use in binder:

http://printables.yourway.net/

The tabs I use (it is MUCH SIMPLER for me to just have write-on ones since figuring out how to print on the tabs is not something I can do in a short amount of time; these are erasable as well so I can change them!):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001N40CB4/ref=wms_ohs_product

How it simplifies my life: Everything in one place, can leave it sitting out rather than having folders inside my desk. When I pay bills, I just punch holes and file them after they are paid. 

Our Homeschool Day 10/3/12

We are studying Ancient Egypt and made "papyrus" today. As much as the Ancient Egyptians used papyrus, it's hard to believe it became extinct in modern Egypt. Luckily, Dr. Hassan Ragab imported some plants from Sudan and Ethiopia and planted them. While the exact methods that the Egyptians used to make papyrus is unknown, Ragab experimented enough that he felt he had a good idea as to how it was made. 
1. Cut strips from the papyrus plant stem.
2. Pound the strips flat.
3. Soak them over many days.
4. Put on linen or cotton.
5. Lay strips horizontally (overlap strips) and then cover that with slightly overlapping strips laid vertically.
6. Cover with linen or cotton and squeeze out water.
7. Squeeze and let dry over 3-4 day period.
Papyrus has a distinctive criss-cross pattern.
*Source: Great Ancient Egyptian Projects You can Build Yourself by Carmella Van Vleet:

We followed the instructions found in this book to make our own version of papyrus.
Here are the boys soaking the strips and laying them in the criss-cross pattern on aluminum foil. 

After this step, we put another piece of foil on top and rolled it with a rolling pin, and waited for it to dry! 

Today has been a struggle for my youngest, who is sick. He was still awake at midnight last night and I had to give him medicine to help him sleep. He is really dragging today! Here's a photo of him in our sun room, snuggled up with a warm cat and a blanket, listening to Handel from YouTube during our composer study:

 

Simplify Life Idea #3

I have one more pet-related way I've made my life easier (aside from noting the new vet that opened right near the entrance to our neighborhood, which will become our vet when we need one, to cut down on the complaining my cats do during car trips). I keep my cats' water bowl in my bathtub. It's easy to refill, and any spillage by me or them is contained. Plus, since the amount of cat hair around eating and drinking areas is always concentrated, I can just rinse the hair away. (Yes, too much of my time is spent thinking about and dealing with cat hair. I guess they're worth it.)
How it simplifies my life: not transporting full bowls of water any distance, easy to refill, easy to clean up, and less guilt that I rarely use my bathtub myself because at least it's being used, right??!

Simplify Life Idea #2

I try.... to simplify! I am very good at making things complicated, but I have come up with some ways to make my life easier. I have challenged myself to document them in the month of October. 

This idea is silly but has helped me. I have two cats, which means shedding. Lots of shedding. I think if I kept all the fur I got off of my floors, I could easily make an entire new cat in just a few weeks. I just can't go here:

So....I try to Swiffer everyday, and happily reluctantly throw all the hair away instead of saving it for craft projects. I also try to combat the source of hair at its source (the cat). I have found the easiest way to do this is to use a lint roller. Using a brush involves constantly having to empty it of fur or more hair flying around. Luckily, cats don't mind the lint roller (at least mine don't, and I wouldn't exactly describe them as laid-back). I usually use about 3 sheets. Roll quickly over cat until full, and throw the sheet away, then repeat. Easy!

My cat Anakin getting lint-rolled while his sister Annalee vies for a turn

How this simplifies my life: a very quick way to get some of the cat hair off of the cat and into the trash, by-passing the part where it spreads like wild-fire over the hardwoods. Avoids emptying a brush. You know those times when you pet your cat and loosen a bunch of hair? This is a great time to utilize the lint-brush!

Simplify Life Idea #1

Monday, October 1, 2012

I've been following a "Home Organization Challenge" from abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com.

It started in September, and I have actually successfully finished all 4 weeks of the challenge thus far (which included the kitchen, the garage, the pantry, and the home office). The blogger includes a printable checklist for each new task, and I've printed them out and done what they said. (Sometimes it's nice to be told what to do instead of always being the one to tell!). This week, we are in the laundry room. To simplify the decorating process in there, since I really don't have the time or energy to paint, I have a cork board up. My husband likes that there are only two nail holes (nail holes in the walls stress him out; we'd have zero wall decor if he was in charge) and I can change it. In the past, I've put up the kids' large art projects. Then, when we started homeschooling and the large projects stopped, I put up old pictures from calendars. Today, I changed it again. Technically the last step of the laundry room challenge is decorating, but I did it first. Here's what I did:
1. Used coordinating scrapbook paper to cover the board. I started with one full piece in the center (like you do when you put down tile) and then fit other pieces around. I just folded the paper up against the frame and cut on the fold for the edge pieces. I stapled the pieces which brought back memories of doing bulletin boards when I was a teacher.
2. Tied a piece of brown string to the top nails that also hold the bulletin board up.
3. Clipped our socks without mates to the string using clothes pins.
4. Made a sign, "Seeking Sole Mates," on my computer and "framed" it using a mat. I taped it to the back of the mat and then used one tack to hold it on (the beauty of using a bulletin board!). This idea came from Pinterest:
http://dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/seeking-sole-mates-missing-sock-holder.html

5. Cut tiny "clothes" from sheets of felt. Pinned another piece of brown string to the bottom of the bulletin board and used tiny clothes-pins (all from a craft store) to hang the mini-clothes. All in all, this took less than an hour and has added color and character to an otherwise dull room. I may put an arrow under "Seeking Sole Mates" to differentiate between the top "clothesline" and the bottom one. The mini-clothes idea is based on a Christmas craft from Family Fun many years ago:
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/yuletide-clothesline-672207/
So, now I need to move on to cleaning out and organizing the cabinets : (.

How this simplifies my life: can change up the laundry decor, by myself, anytime I want. Also gives me an easy way to deal with the "left-over" socks.