Declutter Bug strikes again!!!

Earlier this week, the declutter bug must have bitten me as I got an overwhelming urge to purge the house of unwanted, unloved and unused items in the hope of creating a more simpler and clutter-free life.

First on the radar was the linen cupboard in the hallway. I found quite a few bed sheets and blankets which we no longer need... especially ones for a double bed.... since we don't even OWN a double bed???

Next up, I set the girls up in the lounge room with a movie whilst I set to work decluttering their bedroom. It was paramount that I made sure that they were suitably distracted otherwise they would want to 'help', and then nothing would get done, or disposed of!!! Two hours later and the result was a car boot loaded up with clothes and toys to be donated. 

I also did a quick declutter in Jack's room whilst he was at school and gave my next door neighbour a bag full of clothes for her son. He didn't have much in the way of toys to get rid of, as now that he's getting older, he tends to only play with a few things, and the things he didn't need found new homes last time I did a declutter in his room.

Well, the declutter bug struck again today, and this time I decided to tackle our bedroom and walk-in-robe. Well, the end result was 2 huge garbage bags of clothes, and a large stripy bag full of other bits and pieces which were too good to throw away, but which we no longer needed and were just cluttering up our cupboard and drawers.

Even Tim got in on the act and he had a really good sort out of all his clothes and got rid of heaps! (He had so many clothes, but as he works all week and is only home on the weekend, all he ever wears is his work uniform and a few outfits at home, yet his cupboard hanging space and drawers were overflowing with unused clothes!)

I even managed to free up a drawer in the top of my chest of drawers, and have now turned the chest of drawers into a dressing table as well. No longer are my pretty bottles of perfume and jewelery box hidden away inside the walk-in-robe, but they are now proudly displayed onto of my new dressing table/chest of drawers. The top drawer is now home to my makeup and hair accessories instead of them all being crammed into the top drawer in the bathroom... which also meant that I inadvertantly did a declutter in the bathroom whilst I was at it too!

It was a such a good feeling taking all the bags of rubbish and things to be donated out to the car and knowing that these things would no longer be adding to the clutter inside our home, but also knowing that by getting rid of these things, I have been able to better organise the space in these rooms. Not only do I now have a lovely dressing table, but I also have an area set up in my room for my sewing machine and all the fabric and bits and pieces to go with it! No longer is it tucked away underneath my computer desk, but is sitting ready and waiting for me to let my creativity loose!

Still on the 'Declutter To-Do-List' is the loungeroom, kitchen/dining room, laundry, computer desk area, and the really scary one... the garage!! That one's going to be a doozy!!!

There's one particular item in the house which I'm eagerly eying off but think I'll wait another day or so... Melody's dummy! I hid it first thing this morning, and she has gone the whole day without it! I'm really excited about the prospect of getting rid of it as her dummy is like an extra appendage for her. The fact that she has managed to cope reasonably well without it all day is a really good thing! Think I'll keep it hidden for another day or so before the declutter bug steals it!

Getting the creative juices flowing...

I devised a schedule for the household about 12 months ago. I've tried on and off to implement it and know that it does work, however, I've always ended up getting slack, and it all goes out the window.


For the last few weeks however, the whole family has been following the schedule and I'm finding life is much easier. I'm even finding time to do little things like reading and knitting, which I haven't done either of for a very long time as I'm always really tired.


I'm really enjoying that I am now finding a little bit of time for myself each day to do things that I would like to do... for myself, not for anyone else! I'm also finding that I'm not as stressed and am enjoying more quality time with my husband and children, so everybody wins!!!


So to help keep the schedule as a focus in the home, I decided it was time to update the schedule board as it was looking pretty ordinary... and now that I've been finding some spare time, what better time to be a little creative!


So armed with a tin of black paint which was lurking in the garage, a paintbrush, and some rather gorgeous wrapping paper, I set to work...

This is the BEFORE...

and this is AFTER...

 

I was so impressed with the amount of difference a lick of paint can make, that I even spruced up a few plain old photo frames with a coat of the black paint too! Not bad for an afternoons work!!!

And the countdown begins... starting with a Baby Shower :)

My best friend is expecting a baby girl, and with this weekend signalling the last remaining 4 weeks until the little angel arrives (going by the due date that is!), it was time to hold a baby shower in her honour!

I got together with another friend and together we planned a 'semi' surprise shower. 'Semi' in terms of the guest of honour knew we were throwing her a baby shower, but that was it... she had no idea as to who was invited, or what events were planned.

We played a couple of games to keep everyone entertained and have a few laughs. 

For one game, we filled some baby bottles with about 50ml of water and guests had to race each other to see who could finish drinking the water the quickest. We were all surprised by just how difficult it actually is and found a new respect for babies who make it look so easy!

We also played where at the beginning of the shower, everyone was given a nappy pin. Whenever someone said the word 'baby', the person who caught them saying it got to take their pin. The idea was that whoever had the most pins by the end of the day won. This was also rather fun as once guests lost their pins, they felt like they were left out so they became very quick to pounce on anyone who said the word... and even thought of sneaky ways of trying to trick people into saying it! It also proved to be a good way of getting people to mingle and talk to people they didn't know.

There was also a questionaire booklet handed out to each guests with questions about the guest of honour such as what was her favourite food/movie/football team etc. We then went through the questions at the end and the guest of honour answered them so that we could see who had the most questions right.


There was also a section in the booklet where guests had to describe her using the letters of her name in the style of an acrostic, and also a page where they had to draw a picture of her (could be cartoon, stick figure, etc). This was rather amusing as there were several drawings with rather large baby bumps included. One guest even cheated and rather sneakily stuck the guest of honours' drivers licence to his page!


These booklets were all collected at the end of the baby shower and given to her as a keepsake.

It was a fantastic, relaxing day with lots of laughter, lots of yummy food, and she received many wonderful gifts. Now we just have to wait till the little bundle of joy decides its time to make her grand entrance.....

Laundry Declutter

After signing up for the  'Trash It, Or Treasure It' challenge on Brocante Home, I was inspired to take one of the steps for the first week of the 26 day challenge a little further.

The step was simply to clear out all washing from the laundry so that the bottom of the basket was empty, and that all clean washing was put away. Well, with 2 loads of washing waiting to be done, I decided I would give the entire laundry a clean whilst I was at it. 

I decided to take some before and after photos so that I could see the evidence of my hard work once it was completed.

Before - view looking in from laundry door

After - view looking in from laundry door

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Before - under the laundry sink

After - under the laundry sink

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Before - inside laundry cupboard

After - inside laundry cupboard

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I have to say, it did not really require all that much effort, and I was able to declutter quite a bit of unnecessary rubbish which was hiding in the cupboards for no apparent reason! I'm rather happy with the end result too... now the room I use to keep everything clean for my family is now sparkling clean too... which makes it a much more pleasant place to be :)

Fingers crossed I can keep it this way!

My Tools For Staying Organised... (at least trying to anyway!)

I often have people ask me how I am always so organised. Since having my 3rd child, I have discovered that staying organised is the key to keeping everything else running smoothly, and also makes life a lot less stressful. 

Sometimes, however, life gets in the way and my little organised way of life flies out the window, but with a few simple tools, it is fairly easy to pick up again. I have found that the following things have been really helpful:


The Household Planner
This is simply a large A4 ring binder with note paper, plastic pockets and dividers for different things. You can use your Household Planner in many ways, and store all sorts of useful information in it.

Our Household Planner is easily accessible to everyone in the house, which is important. It helps to ensure that even if I'm not around at the time, my husband or even my children can refer to it quickly and easily.

At the very front of our Household Planner, I have listed important information such phone numbers and addresses for family, friends, doctors etc, Medicare and Ambulance Membership Numbers, and a printed out map with directions to our house highlighted (and also written down on the page alongside it). This is all information which would be useful in an emergency, or if somebody else is looking after the children for us. Following this section are my dividers.

To give you an idea of how one of these Planners could be organised, I have listed below the divider title and brief description of the contents of each of these sections for Our Household Planner. If you want to make your own, you could use these ideas yourself, or tailor your planner to suit yourself or your family.

Daily Routines
This section is where I keep my To Do Lists, Daily and Morning, Afternoon and Evening Routines (discussed in more detail below)


Medical 
In this section, a plastic sleeve is allocated to each family member to store important medical information such as prescriptions, hospital appointment letter, referrals etc. I also have copy of my medicine cupboard contents and their expiry dates (as per my medical stocktake tip). 

Special Events 

This section is a place to put invitations, notes for party planning, reminders for upcoming shows etc
Cleaning Zone Lists
I have divided the house into 5 different zones:

• Zone 1 - The Entrance, Front Porch and Pergola
• Zone 2 - The Kitchen, Dining Room and Office Area
• Zone 3 - The Bathroom/Toilet and Laundry
• Zone 4 - The Living Room and Master Bedroom
• Zone 5 - The Children's Bedrooms (x2)

For each zone, I have listed all the cleaning tasks which would be a more detailed clean than the general once over, and those jobs that generally get put off as they are 'too hard'. Things like cleaning windows, skirting boards, fans, walls, oven, cobwebs, washing curtains etc.

The idea is to pick one zone each week and every day choose at least 5 jobs from the list to complete so that at the end of the week, the list is completed and one zone of the house has had a thorough clean. The next week you move on to the next zone and so on until you come back to the start and begin all over again. It’s much easier to tackle a few small jobs at a time than trying to do them all in one mammoth effort.

This is something I need to begin implementing again as since Melody was born, this has kind of gone out the window a bit!
Bills To Be Paid
This has 3 sections: 

• Bill Timelines and Comparisons - a sheet with tables for each utility bill, where each bill amount is recorded against the year/month it was received. This helps to estimate how much a bill will be and approximately when it will be due going by previous bills. It also helps to to compare bills and work out whether it is time to investigate moving to a cheaper provider due to price increases. This also helps when working out our annual budget as I can see at a glance how much we have spent over the year on regular bills. 
• Monthly Bill Summary - a table printed out on an A4 page for each month for listing bills due that month, date and amount due, date paid and method of payment (ie direct debit, cash, B-Pay etc) and any comments (ie receipt numbers etc). I place all paper bills on the reverse side of the plastic sleeve for the corresponding month (in date order) so that they are easy to locate when that bill is due. 
• Pay Day and Bill Forcaster - this is a table which shows when each pay day falls, and also when bills are due. This helps to work out which months are going to be the most expensive months for bills so that I can plan ahead to make sure we have enough money set aside to cover them. 

Budget 
Here I have a simplified print out of our annual budget, showing yearly and monthly totals for expenses and income.

I also have a sheet with bank details showing breakup of automatic payments set aside for bills and the accounts they go to.

The most important thing in this section I feel is our Savings Thermometer! We have given ourselves a goal of saving $20,000 towards a home deposit, and every time we save $250 towards that goal, we mark it off on our thermometer with the date we reached that mark. It really does help to keep the goal of saving in mind as it is really satisfying every time another mark is added and the goal amount gets closer and closer!
Menu Planning and Grocery Lists
In this section, I have a monthly menu plan, a generic shopping list, and an inventory of food that is in the pantry and freezers. I also use this section to keep recipes I might like to try out.
Gift Ideas
In this section, I have a list of people’s birthdays, a Birthday Gift List and Christmas Gift List table which provides space to list ideas for gifts for people, where the item can be found, and price. These lists help to also keep track of gifts which have been purchased in advance throughout the year, and also how much has been spent to ensure that I go not go over budget on gift purchases.
Child Support
This section contains information pertaining to child support, including a running record of payments received and the dates so that I can keep track of the payments more easily.
School 
This section is where I place things regarding school, such as newsletter, excursion notes, canteen price lists etc. Makes it a lot easier and quicker to find the information, and saves having numerous pieces of paper stuck all over the fridge with magnets!
Swimming 
This section is where I put all the information, newsletters, development reports etc in regards to Jack's swimming classes.
Scouts
This section is where I put all the information, newsletters, etc in regards to Scouts.
Household & Nappy Bag Diaries We have a large day-to-a-page diary at home, where all appointments and important information is recorded. I keep this diary next to the Household Planner for quick reference.

I also have a diary which I carry around in my nappy bag so that when I am out and need to make appointments, I can check straight away that the suggested day or time for an appointment is not going to clash with any other plans.

Whether I am at home at the time, or out and about, I record the information in the relevant diary and make sure that it is also recorded in the other one as soon as possible.

With three young children, two of which always seem to have an appointment for something or other, this ensures that we never miss an appointment! It also ensures that library books are always returned before the due date, and that important paperwork is completed and returned on time.


Daily Routines - in more detail

I mentioned above (for the Household Planner) my daily routines. I thought I might go into more detail here as these simple routines really do help to keep me organised and on track.


My Morning Routine - What A Way To Start My Day! 

• Get out of bed 
• Get dressed 
• Make the bed, open the curtains and turn off the power points 
• Wake Jack up and make sure he gets dressed. Open his curtains and turn off his night light. 
• Wake Ebony up and get her dressed. Make her bed, open her curtains and turn off her night light. 
• Organise the kids breakfast, and have breakfast myself. 
• Empty the dishwasher / put dry dishes away. 
• Get meat out for dinner 
• Put dirty washing into the wash baskets, or put on load washing machine if full load ready 
• Check diary and household planner for appointments, bills to pay, mail to post, upcoming birthdays etc 
• Feed fish, rabbit and guinea pig. Check cats biscuits and water bowl and remove wet food bowl for cleaning if finished (Tim normally feeds the cat when he gets ready for work) 
• Swish the toilet, and wipe down the bathroom sink, counters and mirror (once Jack has finished in the bathroom) 
• Check Jack has packed his school bag properly (lunch box, water bottle, notes, reader bag, homework, hat etc) 
• Get Melody ready (ie change nappy and clothes, feed etc) 
• Take Jack to school and post any mail on the way. 

My After School / Before Dinner Routine 

• Check Jack's school bag for notes and get out his lunch box 
• Make sure that Jack does any homework he has (homework is generally done on Monday and Tuesdays, as he has swimming and Scouts on Wednesday and Thursday nights) 
• Get any washing in, fold, and put away 
• Make Tim and Jack's lunch for tomorrow 
• Organise dinner 

My After Dinner / Before Bed Routine 

• Pack Tim's lunch for tomorrow 
• Stack dishwasher or hand wash dishes (depending on amount) 
• Wipe down kitchen benches, stove top, sink and dining table 
• Sweep kitchen and dining room floor 
• Shower/bath Jack and Ebony and get them ready for bed 
• Have a shower 
• Tidy up loungeroom and kids bedrooms 
• Sit down with Jack and do his reader, and read a book with Ebony 
• Put kids to bed 
• Give Melody a bath, feed and put to bed 
• Sit down with Tim, have a cup of tea and relax! 
• Go to bed at a decent hour - you need your rest! 

I also have a weekly routine which these daily routines form part of:


Monday 

• Morning Routine 
• Weekly Home Blessing Hour – vaccum (middle of floors only), dust and mop 
• Select at least 5 items from current cleaning zone to complete 
• Afternoon Routine 
• Empty bins and put wheelie bins out for collection 
• Wash out bins if needed 
• Evening Routine 

Tuesday 

• Morning Routine 
• Water plants 
• Select at least 5 items from current cleaning zone to complete 
• Do any bulk baking/cooking needed 
• Afternoon Routine 
• Evening Routine 

Wednesday (4.30pm - Swimming class)

• Morning Routine 
• Select at least 5 items from current cleaning zone to complete 
• Clean out fridge 
• Wipe out microwave/toaster/kettle 
• Clean rabbit and guinea pig cage 
• Afternoon Routine 
• Evening Routine 

Thursday (5.30pm - Joey Scouts night)

• Morning Routine 
• Wash and hang out towels 
• Select at least 5 items from current cleaning zone to complete 
• Clean interior of car (and exterior if required) 
• Clean fish tank 
• Afternoon Routine 
• Evening Routine 

Friday

• Morning Routine 
• Select at least 5 items from current cleaning zone to complete 
• Prepare grocery list 
• Clean out purse/handbag 
• Afternoon Routine 
• Evening Routine

Saturday

• Morning Routine 
• Strip beds and wash sheets 
• Change bed sheets 
• Do grocery shopping and put it away 
• Update freezer/pantry inventories 
• Spend at least ½ hour working in the garden (if weather permits) 
• Afternoon Routine 
• Evening Routine 

Sunday

• Morning Routine 
• Spend at least ½ hour working in the garden (if weather permits) 
• Write menu plan 
• Afternoon Routine 
• Evening Routine 

These routines are not always followed completely, as life is unpredictable at times. The important thing is not to beat myself up if I don't follow the schedule completely, and to remember that it is there simply as a guideline.

Melody might be having a particularly unsettled day where all I can do is sit and have cuddles all day, or I may have appointments to attend, friends to visit and catch up with, or children who just want to play with me - and well, they are far more important than housework!

At the end of the day, children are only children for so long. They will not remember when they get older whether the house was spotless all the time, but they will remember the special time they spend with you! 

Declutter Challenge... and we're off!!!

Well so far my de-clutter challenge has gotten off to a great start.

This is a photo of just some of the items I have decided need to go to a new home.

Some of these items have been lucky enough to go to a new home already, as they were snapped up by members from Freecycle. It felt great everytime my doorbell rang and someone took yet another bag of stuff away! 

The rest of the items are either waiting to be collected, or will be donated to charity. There is even more items in the box in my walk-in-robe which are ready to find a new home, but I didn't count them in this challenge as I had already set them aside as things to get rid of.

Hubby was a bit funny about me getting rid of all this stuff (even though it is pretty much all my things). He made the comment "just don't get rid of TOO much stuff. Don't forget, we have paid for it so it would be a waste of money". To which I answered "what difference does it make? If its not being used or is no longer needed, its a waste of money anyway. I might as well give it away to someone who WILL use it!"