{Messy Mondays} not so bad

06/03/2012 Leave a Comment

About 2 weeks ago I started Messy Mondays - ‘showing & shaming’ my self and the mess I / we live with. Since then ive changed my cleaning routine, previously Id do daily cleaning of main areas & on the weekends I’d do a ‘spring clean’.

I found during the week if I was to go shopping or go out for coffee, my house work would suffer & so would the cooking (which is why I started menu planning).

For the past 3 weeks, im doing regular 10 minute cleaning of each room, ive put more pressure on the kids to tidy their rooms (including my son), im doing a ‘lazy’ way of cleaning the toilet (will give you more info later), Im doing a load of washing a day (& trying to put them away the same day).

Also the dusting is done a room or two each day, instead of dusting every room on the weekend and breaksfast dishes are washed while preparing the lunches.

This week the house isnt as bad & if I spent an hour it’ll be presentable (not perfect)

So we had a late night coffee, dessert & a snack lol…..but I was way to lazy to do anything more

While enjoying my ‘coffee break’ I folded the weekend (3 load) washing – but dessert was way to tempting than putting all this away

This pile just sits next to the tv we were given 6 years ago & never used (tags still on it lol) – I want to throw it out but being brand new im thinking “hmm…..maybe i’ll find some kind of use with it one day” (old habits die hard!)

What does your house or piles look like on Monday mornings? Do you do a big clean once a week or is there an easier way to stay above the clutter & mess?

Filed Under: Messy Mondays

My Messy Mondays

18/02/2012 Leave a Comment

Theres no point in denying im a lazy untidy sahm! Believe me at one stage I thought I was an almost domestic goddess but as my girls grew older & messier I start seeing my lazy habits in them.

I’ve mentioned it previously, I hate being this lazy mum & I’m working on becoming the ultimate super mum we see on Foxtel channels lol…. Each week im going to ‘shame & show’ my Monday mess around the house.

My two biggest problems are the dumped pile of clothing in my bedroom and my laundry. Hubby places his clothes over the exercise bike or chair in our room, but I leave my clothes where ever I removed them.

We have hooks behind the door, but I cant get my self into a habit of hanging the clothes as I remove them.

Again here is the same problem – clothes on the laundry floor. I do a load each day, but the clothes left for the next day load sit on my laundry floor. I know its as simply as picking the pile up and placing/hiding them in the laundry basket – but some days I forget and most days im in a lazy mind – “no one sees my laundry”.

Im finally in the habit of doing my dishes after dinner each night – at one stage I use to leave piles of dishes over night for the next morning…..stupid, disgusting & lazy !!!

But I would love to get into Flylady’s shine the sink routine each night, this is what I wake up to in the mornings – sometimes its not as bad but there have been worse….

The bathroom sink needs a wipe & shine each night, again sometimes its spotless but the other days I just leave it as is, “i’ll do it in the morning” running in my head.

I’d love to hear about your routine mess, is the laundry a popular mess spots ? What does your morning / afternoon & night routines involve and most importantly how did you get yourself into the routine?

Filed Under: Messy Mondays Tagged With: Mess, sahm, unorganised

Part 1 of become a WAHM – O.R.G.A.N.I.S.A.T.I.O.N!!

07/10/2011 Leave a Comment

Most of you know I want and need to earn money from home, hubby and I agreed I’ll be home with the kids while he works but its come to a point I need to start bringing in money to pay for some of our expenses.

Im not after a 4 or 5 figure amount a month business opportunity (if there is one) no I would love to open my small business from home using my computer & internet.

I already have my notepad & pen ready to take notes and maybe brainstorm some kind of genius idea but really before I could start I need to declutter my study and organise my life.

Let me show you what I mean – and super organised mums out there you better be sitting before you look at the following photos.

Call it what you’d like my desk…..work station…..dumping area…..where I would love to work from,.,….

My TO DO ironing pile, which I could swear its growing by the minute and not by week – I always promise to do my ironing weekly, BUT I seem to ‘forget’!

This desk was placed in the study as my daughters homework corner, but each time she tried to do her homework her brother and sister wanted to do homework too, its a small room the 4 of us just didnt fit. Now the pile under it are clothes (which have been there for about 2-3 months) I would like to sell, the books ontop are either to be sold or returned to their owners.

Once I get around to selling everything im planning to throw this desk out.

This WAS the craft cupboard, but as I became more focused on keeping the house clean the kids took charge of everything and basically either dumped everything back in there or just threw it out – so really its sort of waste of space.

This is the most pathetic excuse for bookshelf, the shelves are either crooked, missing a support screw or missing. If I replaced this bookshelf with a decent cupboard or bookshelf, which could also hold a few craft stuff then I can gladly throw the above cupboard out.

My multitasking ironing table, not only do I do my ~~“weekly”~~ ironing but where I use to organise paperwork.

This is my recycling bin corner, it may seem like a good idea to most to throw them out daily but I somehow get side track.

This week Im going to organise this room, slowly but gradually – im going to catch up on my filing & bills and this room is going to be clutter free….(fingers crossed)

Filed Under: Study, WAHM

What am I doing wrong?

15/06/2011 13 Comments

I have more questions to all those super organised mums around the world -how many hours are in your day? How many hours sleep do you get a night? How do you maintain your sanity? Do you have a super battery that gives your energy to last and last?

My house was ~~perfectly~~ clean today, all kids were at school / childcare giving me more time to run errands, clean & cook – we got home at 4.30pm so by the time dinner was served it was 5.30 – 6.

After dinner I washed the kids, read a book and fell asleep on the couch – BIG HUGE MISTAKE. The house is now in a mess, all the Thomas peices are everywhere, my eldest tried to change the birdseed but missed the bin and theres more.

Ok I know what your going to say – its our fault (hubby & I ) for falling asleep….right I accept that….but what I would love to know is how all your houses remain clean, tidy, you have time to be a wife, mother and not to mention be your perfectly & patient sanely self.

I look at your perfectly organised blogs, photos of your house & even your “past” time scrapbooking or photography and Im amazed, if not embarrassed by my blog, house and having no time for a hobby.

So my new questions are – what am I doing wrong? How do I regain my sanity? How do I still get 8 hours sleep? Finally, what is your secret???

Filed Under: Kids

Organised house vs 3 kids

07/06/2011 2 Comments

Attention. Super organised mummies out there:

How on earth do you keep your house organised around children?

No matter what I do, a few hours or days later the kids have either moved something around, used it as a toy or dont follow my new routine.

This week I decided to actually put our hall way table into better use rather than just throw our junk onto it. I put a large crystal bowl along with a pair of silver candle holders Ive had for about 12 years now.

A fortnight later, the kids were playing ‘train station stop’ and decided to use the bowl & broke 1 of my candle holders – AAAGGGHHH!

It seems my kids sabotage all my attempts at organising the house….!!!! Help!!!!

So how do you organise your kids, house and life to work together?

Filed Under: Kids Tagged With: Organised

Todo list for Saturday

28/05/2011 2 Comments

I decided to try something different with the kids today, instead of telling them what we have on for today, I thought I would put up a printed to-do list.

Im not sure if its going to be a “tear -free” day, but we sat down and made list of chores that need to be done then activities we can do together before its “play on your own” time.

You can download our “kids todo list” and amend it if you’d like.

Heres what we have on for today.

My preschooler is learning about the weather, to encourage her more we include “todays weather” onto everything we type /write or read.

Filed Under: Kids, Lets get crafty & DIY Tagged With: kids, organise

Organising my Pantry

24/05/2011 2 Comments

Im almost finished, as I tweeted about it last night its hard work organising your pantry, first I had to find inspiration online, then had to buy my baskets and mind you while buying the baskets I didnt know if they were too big or not enough, so I decided to build my basket collection as I needed them.

I bought 4 baskets all up (2 large and 2 small), I’m sticking to a white, blue & chocolate colour scheme - and now its time for heads in and bums out to start sorting, wiping, throwing and making mental notes to never be as unorganised lol…..

BEFORE

The most unorganised housewife award goes to…..me!!!!!

Disgusting right??? In all out honesty, its not usually as messy, this is a months build up of me getting my act together and changing the way I clean /organise my pantry.

Previously, I made sure everything was pushed back, the lower level was my hidden level where I usually put things I didn’t use…..ohhhh man what was I thinking???

AFTER

Its not finished, if I can find away to store my cans so I know what I have and also something for the tea towels & Glad Wrap —I should be almost there.

Hubby saw the pantry this morning and said “wow what happened to the bomb that exploded..” I think it was a compliment.

The amount of stuff that I had to throw out amazed me….OMG….. I found a cake mix that expired in 2008, chicken stock that went brown and hard, 3 empty Cream of Tartar jars and more…

But I made it through this challenge in one piece…..and I am super proud organising (not yet an organiser or organised) mum….!!!

Filed Under: Kitchen, Organise Tagged With: challenge, organise, unorganised

Getting Organised for Back to School

28/01/2011 3 Comments

Monday morning is our first day back at school, Im going to miss having little Hip at home but at the same time it means we get our blissful routine back.

I started Menu Planning her lunch box to avoid the never ending whining and pleading for Nutella. Each week we sit infront of the computer and make a list of everything that will be going into her lunch box. My only rule is: there has to be ATLEAST 1 Fruit, vegetable, carb, snack, dairy and water. Her only rule is No cheese, Vegemite or onions. But I still put Cheese into her lunch but in a more creative way lol shhhh!.

I created my menu planner with Word, I printed it on to card stock and laminated it. I then stuck it onto my pantry door and refill it each week. We choose what to pack according to what activities we have that day, so she can have enough energy to last. Feel free to download my planner and customise it the way you’d like.

Lunchbox menu planner

This week we have :

Monday: Egg, Lettuce & Mayo, tub of yogurt, peaches, carrot stick, rice cake & Popcorn

Tuesday: Tuna, Lettuce & Mayo, Cheese cubes & crackers, boiled peas, apple & sultanas.

Wednesday: shredded Chicken, shredded carrot & cheese melted, grapes, Yogurt, corn, juice, Sakarta, & grapes

Thursday – Pasta Salad , Apple, grapes, sliced cucumber, boiled egg and salami slices.

Friday – Homemade Chicken Nuggets in hotdog bread, peas, cherry tomatoes, banana, tiny teddy and plain yogurt

Filed Under: Back to School, Organise, Printables