Recently in cleaning & organizing Category

I am short on time today so this will be a quick one. I have already posted these photos of my fridge but not in the context of Operation Clean & Organize. I've been relatively good at keeping my fridge clean since I usually clean it out every week or two. On Sundays Brian always makes the family breakfast. After breakfast I wash the dishes and catch up on a little kitchen cleaning - like the fridge. I check what food or leftovers need to be eaten and plan the week's menu around those items. Keeping on top of things makes my meal planning a lot easier and eliminates the problem of wasted food that we used to have.

Here is what my fridge basically looks like - including a munchkin looking for a snack.

To organize the fridge I got rid of the 101 mismatched reusable containers that overran my kitchen cabinet and I bought a big box of Rubbermaid Premier Containers when they were on sale at Costco. The lids and containers stack together so I keep the larger ones in my regular plasticware cabinet and the small and medium sized ones in one of my kitchen drawers.

The second best (if not best) investment I made was purchasing a number of Fridge Binz (see links below) for jarred items and lunch items like yogurt, jello, juice boxes, etc. I. LOVE. THEM. It makes finding things in the fridge much easier. Instead of rummaging for the tarter sauce or pickled relish that is stuck at the back of the fridge, you simply pull out your bin and there it is!

Here is the side view of the narrow bin.

I use these for our inside fridge and our outside fridge. If you're interested, here they are. The also have shorter ones, ones for coke cans and pantry styles available. Just search "fridge bins" on Amazon.

Last week I worked on my DVD shelf. Over the last decade Brian and I have collected a crazy amount of DVD's - both store bought ones and movies we recorded onto blank DVD's. I couldn't fit them all on our shelf! Not only was it overflowing with movies, but also with other junk it had collected.

I finally decided to get rid of the DVD cases and placed the discs in space saving CD cases. For the DVD's we recorded, I placed them in white paper sleeves.

I had a bunch of media baskets I bought at IKEA ages ago. I used those for my regular DVD's and labeled them by category.

I put the paper sleeved DVD's in a long basket I picked up at Target. I cut down two file folders into mini files sleeves and labeled them.

Here is what the final shelf looks like. I kept the TV series box sets (Like Lost, Psych and I Love Lucy) on the top two shelves. The third shelf has the baskets of paper sleeved DVD's and the fourth shelf the CD cases with DVD's. A big improvement. I debated whether or not to get new colorful baskets but it would be silly to spend money on new ones when these will work fine, even if it looks a bit "brown." LOL. To keep track of the movies we own, I'm almost done listing them and placing the sheets in a binder for easy reference when we need to decide what to watch for movie night. :-)

When we remodeled the house and added a bedroom, we closed off the old master bathroom and made it into the kids' bathroom. It has only one sink but a long countertop. Invariably, there were various toiletries and clothes thrown all over the counter. To try and keep things a bit more organized, I placed a basket on the counter for each child. (I bought these plastic baskets/bins at Target.) Inside their basket were extra diapers/undies and any products they alone used.

I placed name tags above their basket to remind them of which one is theirs. After they dress in the morning I also have them fold their pj's and place them in their basket for the next night. (Although "wad" would describe it better than "fold.") It has worked out well and eliminated the need to search through sheets and under beds for their pj's before bedtime.

There is another small counter in the bathroom that I use when we have guests. I have extra bins and labels with the names of frequent guests - such as my mom who spent a few days with us while I was out of town.

I keep one bin for them to put their toiletries and things and one basket filled with extra shampoos, lotions, toothbrushes etc for them to use while they are visiting. I don't have a picture if it here but along with their towels I'll have a little welcome gift for them - chocolate or mints, a burned CD of favorite songs, a special soap or lotion in their favorite scent, stationary or mini-photo album, a favorite magazine or snack (best choices for when my brothers or dad come visit.) I just think it's a nice touch to let my family or friends know that I am happy they are visiting our home.

It seems that since the holidays last year, I haven't been spending any time on my cleaning and organizing projects. However, now that spring it here, it is time to get back to work! I thought I would go over the segments of Operation Clean and Organized that I have done so far and to see if I have been keeping up with the organization.

Vol 1: Cleaning Charts & Recipe Clip Board - My master project list is still being used and I am slowly crossing off the projects as I get to them. The daily cleaning chart is sometimes used (usually when my brain is so scattered I need to remind myself what to do first) and sometimes forgotten (usually when I am running around all day and haven't been home more than a few minutes.) I still use my clipboard for that week's recipes all the time. I love it. I'll have to try and post my almost done recipe binder next week.

Last week, I also added this small fabric board from Target to the little wall on the other side of my fridge. I haven't put anything on it yet but I love the bright pattern.

Vol 2 - Weekly Menu Board

I still love my menu board and use it every week! I did need to make more blank labels to write in the names of new meals I've tried since then.

Vol 3: Shopping Lists & The Outdated Pantry

My fridge shopping list has changed a little but the rest are still working.

Vol 4 - The Cupboards/Pantry (Part 1)

I don't think I'll ever be fully happy with this mini-pantry since it is so narrow but so far it is okay. The mini drawers work great. The stacked baskets are okay and I finally replaced the random black one with a white basket.

My only complaint is that when I want something from the bottom basket I have to lift all the others to get my hand in there. I would love to get bins like this from The Container Store but even their mini sized ones are 9 ½ inches wide and my shelf has a depth of 8" so I wouldn't be able to close the door. So for now, I will have to stick with what I have.

As for the master pantry lists and rubber band-hook to keep the little kiddos out, still works well.

Vol 6 - The Cupboards/Pantry (Part 2)

The pantry still looks good but I do have to stay on top of it. I did however update my spice rack. The last time I just used mini labels and wrote the names of the spices. When Martha Stewart came out with her Avery labels, I loved the round ones, especially since it had a red border. (In case you haven't noticed, I love red!)

I think they look a lot better!

Vol 5 - My Desk AND Vol 7 - Book Shelves & Desk Area

My desk area still looks good but it is a CONSTANT job to daily sort out and put away the various things that pile up when I am not looking. However, it is a job I don't mind doing since it is my little corner of the house and it makes me happy to see it neat and nice looking. Now I just have to work on taming the cords underneath the desk. (BTW, I have to keep the big throw pillow in front of my chair to block munchkin hands from putting cheerios into the CD drive of the computer.)

Earlier this week, I was at the craft store and bought some ribbon and card stock to make labels for the top four bins on my side bookshelf. I got a lot of great suggestions from a commenter (thanks, Kate) but as hard as I tried, I didn't like the way it looked on these fabric bins. I wanted a plain, clean look. However, I still liked the idea of the ribbon and labels so I used it instead for the baskets I am using to redo our DVD shelf. It worked great for that. (I'll post the results when I complete it.)

When I bought the Martha Stewart labels for my spice jars I also picked up a pack of oval red border labels. Yesterday I tried sticking one to the fabric bin and it stayed on perfectly (since they were out of reach of curious little hands.) I used some black letter stickers to label the bins and I like the clean look with a minimal amount of money spent.

Well, that's it for now. Hopefully, I'll have another complete project to post next week. Have a great day!

For the last two weeks I have been working diligently on organizing a section of my home that I use constantly. In one corner of our front room I have my desk with our computer and "work" area. On the wall to the left of my desk there are four large book shelves. (Can you guess that Brian looooves to read?) However, in the process of cleaning, every time there was something I needed to take to another room, I would stash it on the shelf and put it away "later." Well, it was finally time to tackle the shelves and put away all the collected junk.

Two weeks ago I posted about organizing my desk. I am happy to report that each night I put away anything that does not belong there and it continues to look nice. (Trust me, that's a miracle in itself.) But this still left the one book shelf next to my desk that housed all my things. It drove me nuts every time I sat down at my desk to work.

I was at Target the other day (I really should buy some stock in their company since I spend so much time there) and I found these cute fabric bins in a red floral pattern. I bought six of them in various sizes. (Note, they sold out quickly in our store but I did find them online if you don't mind buying them in sets. They are also available in aqua blue, orange, lime green and black. Other patters were ovals and zigzag lines.)

Target also had these magazine files for only $4.99, although our stores didn't carry them in red. Thankfully, my mom searched her Target 400 miles away and bought me the last two since I couldn't order them online.

My sisters brought them to me when they came to visit this weekend and I finished organizing my shelf this morning. I love how much better it looks! It actually brings me joy to look at it. And it is crazy that when I was looking for something, instead of searching through piles I knew exactly which bin to look in to find it. I tell, you this organizing business is really starting to make sense. ;-)

I was thinking about labeling the top four bins but I'm not sure the best way to label a fabric bin. I'll have to go back to my Pinterest organizing board for inspiration. I'll let you know if I find something I like.

Until next week's post, happy organizing!

I feel like I can't get very much done in the house organizing department, especially since my project list is so long. But I figured that if I tackle one small job a week I'll slowly but surely get my job list complete.

Before the holidays I started organizing my kitchen cabinets, particularly the mini pantry cabinet that I blogged about here. Now that holidays are over, I have been able to continue with the cabinet over the sink where we keep canned goods and baking items. I had a few blue plastic containers but instead of being organizers they were just catch-alls for anything and everything.

My spices were particularly a headache since I had to dig through this mess whenever I was looking for a spice, whether it was cumin or nutmeg.

I had this old circular spice rack from years ago but a number of spices that came with it were ones I did not use so they just gathered dust and took up space. I decided to dump out all the spices from the jars and remove all the labels. I washed them and relabeled them with the spices that I use all the time.

In the blue bucket I keep spices I don't use as often (like BBQ rubs) and refills of frequent ones.

As for the cabinet I pulled everything out and reorganized, keeping the baking goods in top. Brian was shocked when he opened the cabinet to look for some tea and he knew exactly where it would be.

That's it for this week. Upcoming posts will be the garage pantry, the living room bookshelves/my work area, and the DVD/media shelf. Happy organizing!

The other day I looked into Bella's room to make sure she was doing her homework. I saw her kneeling on the floor using her chair as a table top. I wondered why she wasn't using her desk until I took a look at it. It was so messy there was no room to write. She said she just cleaned it last week and doesn't know why it was so messy again. I told her that she can't just clean it once. She had to straighten it out every day so things don't accumulate and look like a disaster area. She agreed and started cleaning.

I then walked over to my desk to check something online and ate my own words since my once clean desk looked something like this.

My desk area is my little sanctuary/work center but more often than not I cannot even see the surface of it beneath all the mess. I am trying to make it a habit to take a few minutes each evening and put away the stuff that always accumulates there over the course of the day.

Since I always have numerous piles of papers or projects that I am working on I bought these pretty file folders at Barnes and Nobles to sort and label the piles.

For Christmas I received this cute file folder that I wanted. I keep all our important papers and documents in it. I told Brian that if there is a fire in the house grab the kids first then grab the file. (Which makes me think, what if there is a fire while we are gone? Maybe I should scan those papers and store them online?)

I use these matching mesh pouches to hold pens, stickers/envelope seals and other desk supplies.

So my desk is once again pretty and every night (hopefully) Bella and I will be making sure our desk areas are kept that way.

Happy New Year! We are back in town, back to school, back to work and I'm back at my computer. I have a house full of Christmas decor that needs to be packed, suitcase that need to be unpacked, and huge messes wherever you look. The thought of tackling all that does not sound too appealing so for the moment I am going to make the posts I was supposed to do last week! This should have been posted 12/30/11 but I didn't make it online until now. Oh, well. ;-)

It's funny that the top three most popular posts this year all had to do with Brian and I meeting, dating and marrying. I guess we are all suckers for a love story. It is also no surprise that the top three were all initiated by blogging queen and fashionista Betty Beguiles. So kick up your heels (or flats, in my case) and enjoy!

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

Heart of Gratitude: Day 1 & The Email That Started It All (Engagement - Synopsis Version)

It's been so busy lately that I hardly have any time online to blog or catch up on my google reader. I had a few moments this morning and I saw that Hailey started a "Heart of Gratitude" 14-day challenge for your husband. I looked at the date to see when it started and I realized it was today, November 9th, which is a special date for me and Brian.

It was thirteen years ago on November 1 when a young man left the seminary after a year and a half stay. He had discerned that it wasn't his vocation and felt God calling him to a new chapter of his life. He thought about marriage but he had dated before and it never really worked out. He recalled reading about a new Catholic online dating service (AMSCOL) and gave them a try, filling out their questionnaire that day. Later he knelt before God and humbly poured out his heart. He told God that if he was called to the vocation of marriage, then God would have to place the girl on his doorstep. With a resolved sigh, he began the first day of his novena trusting that it was all in the hands of Our Lord and Our Lady. (Continue reading...)

Our Engagement Story: An Answer to Prayer (Longer Version)

Yesterday Hallie at Betty Beguiles had the great idea of asking bloggers to post their engagement stories. It was so much fun to go back to my old journals and read about our early months together. Sometimes it's easy to forget the romance when you are dealing with the every day busyness of raising little ones. It was a good reminder that Brian and I need to carve out a little alone time no matter how busy. I don't have time to write out the story (I'm typing with one hand and holding a restless baby with the other) so instead I'll just repost the story of our "courtship" which includes our engagement. Brian and wrote this together so you'll get his side of the story too. (Also, after we were married I found the notes Brian used write down what he wanted to say when he proposed. I was so happy to find that because in the emotion of the moment I don't think my mind was registering all the beautiful words he was saying to me. Now that they are in my scrapbook I can go back and relive them word for word. )

Now, on with the story...

BOBBI: In my late twenties, it started to become the family joke that if I was not married the age of thirty then I was going to pack my bags, move to Zimbabwe, live with the natives and die for a noble cause! (Okay, so I was a little dramatic.) Time was ticking and I was trying to grow closer to God and accept my singleness at the moment. My younger sister Elena suggested I try the website Single Catholics Online (now known as Ave Maria SCOL). I laughed at the idea, insisting that I was not desperate enough to look for a good Catholic husband on some dating service! She gave me that knowing look, smiled and walked out of the room saying, "Instead of crying about wanting a husband, get to work and check it out." How does she know me so well? (Continue reading...)

Betty's Wedding Dress Round-Up

Betty at Betty Beguiles.com asked bloggers to share about their wedding dress and if they still loved it or wished they had done things differently.

When I was prepping for my wedding and looking for a dress I was a little worried since I hated wearing dresses to begin with and I'm a plus size and didn't have as many choices as other brides-to-be. I remember my sister BC and I were shopping in Orange County and we decided to stop into a bridal store just to see styles and prices. After looking at the stick-thin girls and big price tags, I felt really out of place and didn't stay very long. Shortly after, my family moved to the Calif high dessert where it was more "cowboy country" than we were used to. I was driving with JC, another one of my sisters, and we came across a local wedding boutique. It looked more home-town humble than high-class snooty so we stopped to take a look.

The sales lady was really nice and brought out some dresses in my size. The first one I tried on confirmed all my fears. It had a "western" look to it and in it I looked like a big, white marshmallow cowboy bride. I looked over at my sister who was in the dressing room with me and we bust out laughing. Not quiet-giggles laughing but the I'm-going-to-wet-my-pants-if-I-don't-stop laughing. The sales woman came over and asked if anything was wrong. I bit my tongue hard enough to make myself calm down and told her that we were fine. I quickly changed and after a few more tries we came across a dress with an empire waist and I loved the way it looked and fit. I looked at the price tag and even the discounted $800 was more than I could really afford. But at least I now knew that there was a dress style that would work on me and not send me into hysterics.(Continue reading...)

Those Perfect Catholic Moms Are Killing Me

I recently added a number of new blogs into my google reader and I'm sifting through them to see which ones I'll read regularly and which ones are good but not where I am in life.

The first ones to go are the blogs that depress me. You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones that have countless posts by talented moms showing their beautiful gardens, their homemade baked goods and home cooked meals, their hand sewn clothes, and their Catholic craft of the day. I can take these in small doses but not all the time. Like I said, it depresses me.

And it's not their fault. It's mine. I just can't seem to follow their lead. I've tried to garden. Truly, I have. In fact, just a few months ago I decided to start again but to keep it simple. No veggies or elaborate flower beds. Instead I have two simple window boxes of flowers and three herbs - basil, Italian parsley and cilantro. I was doing really well but as usual I forgot to water and not just once or twice but for days. Yesterday I went outside to check on my herbs and lo and behold, I'm the only person on my block to have a garden of dried herbs. (Dried... dead... is there really much difference?) Yeah, so gardens and I don't do so well. (Continue reading...)

Operation Clean & Organize: Vol 1

I've discussed in a number of previous posts (like here and here) about my battle with keeping a clean and organized house. I'm naturally messy and the amount of work I have to do to clean up and organize our house is overwhelming. However, it's a project I want to undertake because it's important to me. I think there is some truth to the saying "cleanliness is next to godliness." Someone once told me that a person's exterior life reflects their interior life. I don't know if that is true but I do know that after awhile I get tired, frustrated and grouchy with all the piles of papers and junk and disorganized areas of the house. A house with little kids will never look like a museum - and never should - but I could definitely use a little more order in my life and I know the difference it makes.

When I do clean up an area and have it organized it makes my life run a little bit smoother. (Who can't use that?!) I am more at peace and feel that I am better accomplishing my mission in life - to raise a happy family and make our home a little taste of heaven on earth as we work towards entering our eternal home. It is my small way of showing God that I love him - to put aside my natural messy tendencies and find the orderly and creative woman I know is lurking in there somewhere. (Continue reading...)

Catholic Baby Shower Ideas

I've updated our main website Revolution of Love.com with ideas for a Catholic Baby Shower. I thought I'd post the prayers, activities and gift ideas on the blog as well.

The First Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph. The angel said to Mary, "Hail full of grace! The Lord is with you. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." (Luke 1:26-29, 38)

Blessed Mother, through your humility and obedience God's plan of salvation was put into motion by a simple "yes." May (NAME) be given the grace to say yes to God in the small and big things of her life, so that she, too, may participate in God's plan of salvation through her vocation as a wife and mother. (Continue reading...)

10 Year Anniversary: Where Were You on 9/11?

When I was younger I used to always wonder why people would ask "Where were you when Kennedy died?" I didn't get what the big deal was. Now when someone asks me "Where were you on 9/11?" I understand perfectly what they were talking about. On 9/11 I was no where near NY. I was living in Pacific Grove, CA with Brian. I was almost 8 months pregnant with Bella. I woke up to kiss Brian goodbye for work and he told me I had better check the news because he saw online that there was news of a terrorist attack.

When I turned on the TV, I first thought a single terrorist flew his own plane into the Twin Towers. Then a realized a regular commercial flight with innocent people on board were made into human bombs. And not just one flight - many of them. I kept thinking that the Twin Tower workers probably never saw it coming but the people on the plane were aware and watching it unfold. I was dumbstruck until all I could do was sob. (Even now its hard to hold back the tears when I think about it.) I don't think I ever got off the couch that day as I watched and cried. Brian came home and eventually made me turn off the TV so I'd stop thinking about it. (Continue reading...)

It's been hard working on my organizing project since things have been so busy lately! This time of year will only get busier so if I don't post on this topic that often, you'll know why. However, I have been able to work a little bit on my pantry. My kitchen is on the small side, and technically, there is no pantry. I have the usual cupboards for dishes, plastics and pots and pans. Anything left over, I can use for food storage.

The one cupboard that gives me the most trouble is a tall and narrow cabinet on the side of the fridge and behind the swinging door that leads into the family room. The shelving is weird - the top has short shelves and there is a huge empty section on the bottom. I could try to redo the shelving but time is short and I needed a quick fix that I can live with right now.

The cabinet is mostly used for snack foods, lunch box items and taller bottles (oils, vinegars, cooking wine, etc) that don't fit in the other cupboards.

I went to Target and purchase six stacking containers and one mini-drawer container. (Unfortunately the two stores I went to had only four white stacking boxes left but I found two black ones on clearance for 75 cents. I can live with two tones.)

I put all the lunch box items in the containers and labeled them.

The smaller items like boxes of raisins and fruit chew and the items the kids don't eat (protein bars) are put in the mini-drawer container.

On the door of the cabinet I keep my pantry inventory list for food in my fridge and freezer.

For my labels, I printed on Avery Labels #8163 and stuck it to a colored index cards and trimmed the edges. For this door label, instead of an index card, I used a blank stationary card with a pretty pattern and cut it down to size. (I picked up a box of the cards at Target in the $1 section.)

I ordered the personalized pantry lists from Jen at iheartorganizing.blogspot.com. They are available through her etsy shop.

Large size: View image

Then I placed them in sheet protectors and attached them to the door with blue painters tape. That way I can easily remove and update a list.

The last problem I had with this cabinet is that there was no way to keep the door locked so John-Paul wouldn't dump out all the containers and snacks on the floor (after he sampled a few.) I finally figured out a solution. I purchased a package of Command Mini-Hooks.

I placed one next to the cabinet handle then I took a large rubber band and looped it through the handle and hung it on the hook. Now JP can't get his little fingers into the cabinet and open it up. Problem solved!

Well, that's all I have time for today. In the next weeks I'll be finishing organizing the food cabinets in the kitchen and organizing the garage pantry. In the meantime, feel free to share your own thoughts and ideas! Enjoy your day. :-)

Speaking of books, I recently came across the blog Family Menu Planning Book.com by Catholic convert Elizabeth Hawbaker and saw her e-book Family Menu Planning: A Practical Guide to Mealtime Management. I just downloaded it and I'm loving it so far. Some of the shopping tips I already mentioned here but there is a lot of great info that will help me with my meal planning. The e-book is only $3.99 for the Amazon Kindle version. It is worth it.

Note: You don't have to actually have a Kindle to read the book. You can download kindle onto your PC or smart phone. I have mine on my iphone and I'm using Amazon Cloud (until Apple gets their cloud!) so I can read it on any computer.

Over the past month or two I've been slowly working my way through a number of books for Catholic moms. Here are a few.

I am really enjoying this daily devotional book! I admire both the authors very much so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did because it is perfect for my morning prayer time. Often my mind is filled with thoughts about the day ahead of me and I have trouble quieting down and focusing. This book makes the transition to prayer easier because it is short and concise.

Each month is dedicated to one virtue. (This month is diligence.) Each day is divided into three parts - Think (a scripture or saint quote), Pray (a short prayer) and Act (a resolution or goal to work on that day.) Sometimes I follow the material completely and sometimes I'll adapt it to my circumstances that day. You can keep your prayer time short or dwell on your conversation with God as long as your time allows. If you don't already have a prayer routine or if you are just starting out, this is a great place to start.

I've seen this book mentioned on a number of blogs and thought I'd read it for myself. The chapters are as follows:

1. The Toys 'R' Taking Over Us: Finding Play That Is Purposeful and Manageable
2. The Media Monster: Managing Our Technical "Toys" in this Media Driven Culture
3. Dinner: Getting the Food and Everyone to the Table to Feed Body and Soul
4. It's Your Home Too: Getting the Chores and Work Done. Hint: "M" Is for Mom, Not Maid. (LOL!)
5. From T-Ball to Trombone: Keeping Track of Everyone's Comings and Goings
6. Memories...In the Corner of Our Closet: Collecting and Storing Memorabilia
7. The Heart of the Matter: Stirring What Is true, Beautiful, and Good in Our Children
8. Babies: Bringing Out the Mary in Us

I am about ½ way through and I have found it really helpful with my Operation Clean and Organize. The author is a busy of mom of nine kids and if she is able to keep a clean, organized and happy family that loves Our Lord then I certainly want to know some of her secrets! And so far, so good!

I bought this book a couple months ago and started reading it but frankly, I don't think I was in the right state of mind because when Dr. Meeker gave examples of moms who were formerly in the corporate world or who were doing outside ministries along with raising their families, it turned me off. I didn't think the book was for me since I am "just a mom" with little kids trying to make it through the day with the dishes washed, some laundry done and my sanity intact.

However, when I saw that Elizabeth Floss was gong to do an online book study of this book, I thought I'd give it another try. I'm so glad I did because now it is clicking and making sense to me. This book is just as beneficial to a mom "like me." I have been reading along, but at a slower pace than the book discussion, and I've found myself rereading sections and thinking over the material so I can better apply them to my life.

I haven't posted about what I've read, except for the first chapter on Habit 1. Hopefully I'll be able to post more later. (By the way, this book can be for any mom, not just a Catholic one.)

I've only skimmed through this because I wanted to get through the other ones first but it looks really good! It's next on my list. I'll post about it when I start it but you may want to check it out now.

Over the last week I was hoping to work on organizing my pantry and making master shopping lists. However, all four kids have been sick with colds and sore throats, which has made the baby extra cranky, so I didn't get very far. I did, however, realize how much I not only needed to organize and replenish the pantry but I needed to throw out old expired items. Yesterday I wanted to make quick BBQ chicken in the slow cooker. I saw this recipe on Pinterest. It looked super easy and I had all the ingredients.

Well, I had the ingredients but they weren't exactly fresh. My vinegar was expired not just by a couple months but by a few years - as in, I bought it about three pregnancies ago! (Yeah, you can see how often I used to cook homemade.) But that was fine. I had another kind of vinegar that I could use instead. Wait, that was expired too but not by so many years. However, it had a lot of gross gunk in it and I wasn't going to use it.

Okay, forget that recipe. There was this easy recipe that I found that didn't require vinegar. It sounded a bit weird to mix Italian dressing with BBQ sauce but all the reviewers raved about it. I ran to the garage pantry to grab a bottle of dressing. Brian likes it so I keep an extra bottle for him. What?? I ran out? Oh. Em. Gee. What kind of pathetic kitchen is this?!?

By this time my 20 minute window of opportunity was up and the baby was crying and JP spilled his milk. Ugh! Finally I just threw in the frozen chicken in the crock pot and poured a bottle of BBQ sauce on top (it was a miracle I had that) and flipped it on for 3 ½ hours. Soooo, my pantry needs more work that I thought. It'll be at least another week before I post about them.

I did, however, finish my shopping lists. I used to keep four post it notes on the fridge. One for each store I shopped at - Target, Costco, Trader Joe and the local market, although I usually only go to the market for quick last minute things. This made a quick run to the store easy because you grabbed the post it you needed and left the ones you didn't.

However, once I put up my menu board, it took up too much space, so now I use a narrow magnetic notepad sectioned off into four. Since I no longer make sporadic shopping runs, I don't need separate post its. I organize my shopping lists, check over the week's menu and do my shopping once a week.

Since I usually always buy the same items at Costco and Trader Joe, I use my iphone Shopper app. (The ads can be annoying so I paid the $1.99 to be ad free.) I made a template shopping list for each store. When it is time to shop I take down my fridge list and mark off what needs to be purchased to create an e-list for that week. I've used the e-list on my phone while I shop but I usually have one of the kids with me and they like to play with my iphone so instead I email the list to myself and print it out. It makes things so much easier!

For my Target shopping, a master list didn't work because it varied so much from week to week - from new shoes for the baby to a school notebook for Bella. A blank list worked best. However, my Target was recently redesigned and it is taking me some time to get used the new location of favorite items. I decided to make a shopping list with categories according to the layout of the store. That way I can start at one end and work my way around to the other side. I've used it a few time and it is so much easier to get things done.

For a larger view: View image

Well, that pretty much wraps it up. This is the system that works best for me. What works for you?

Over the next week I'll continue working on the pantry - oh, and don't even get me started on the bug infested wheat flour I had to throw away! Oh, well. On the plus side, the chicken with only BBQ sauce was a hit! Brian took leftovers for lunch and he said his coworker wanted to know where he got that delicious smelling BBQ chicken. If he only knew. ;-) Happy organizing.

UPDATE: For shopping list tips check out the blog Family Menu Planning Book.com by Catholic convert Elizabeth Hawbaker and her e-book Family Menu Planning: A Practical Guide to Mealtime Management. I just downloaded it and there is a lot of great info that will help me with my meal planning and shopping.

It is week two of Operation Clean and Organize and this week I've been working on a menu board. Some moms prefer to make a monthly menu but that doesn't work for me. Planning one week ahead is all I can handle right now!

I looked at various styles of menu boards to see what appealed to me. I previously had a dry erase board but over time the erase ability of the board deteriorated. I thought of using a magnetic board because I really liked this one but it was too big and I wanted it to be weekly not monthly.

I decided to make my own smaller magnetic weekly menu. I spent a total of about $20 for a magnetic board the right size to fit on my fridge, a pack of Avery Printable Magnetic Sheets, and "Days of the Week" magnets that I found at Target in the Back to School seasonal section.

Next I sat down and made a master list of all the meals, side dishes and veggies I normally cook. In a Word document I made four columns of labels and typed up the list of foods. I wanted to keep track of days when I had appointments so I would know to plan easy or slow-cooker meals on those days. I also wanted to mark days when I had to pack the kids' lunches for school.

I color coded the labels: main dish - blue, sides - orange, veggies - green, appointments - purple, and school lunches - red. I made sure to have a number of blank labels to fill in later as I tried new recipes. Next, I printed and cut out the labels. Lastly, I arranged the meals on my board along with a shrunken down copy of Bella's school lunch menu.

Here's what it looks like.

For a larger view: View image

The first week using it has been great. We'll see how it stands the test of time. :-)

That's it for this week. Next week I'll be working on organizing my pantry and making master shopping lists. Share your own ideas in the comments and happy organizing!

POSTSCRIPT:

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that this organizing business is getting fun. Who knew? But you must make sure that your motherly duties are attended to first. Otherwise you will have to find out that your earlier statement of "he should be able to eat his yogurt alone without making too much mess while I make a quick post" was not only false but stupid thinking. So be forewarned. Wait until the kids are asleep. (And this was after I cleaned off his hair and face.)

UPDATE: For meal planning tips check out the blog Family Menu Planning Book.com by Catholic convert Elizabeth Hawbaker and her e-book Family Menu Planning: A Practical Guide to Mealtime Management. I downloaded it and there is a lot of great info that will help me with my meal planning.

I've discussed in a number of previous posts (like here and here) about my battle with keeping a clean and organized house. I'm naturally messy and the amount of work I have to do to clean up and organize our house is overwhelming. However, it's a project I want to undertake because it's important to me.

I think there is some truth to the saying "cleanliness is next to godliness." Someone once told me that a person's exterior life reflects their interior life. I don't know if that is true but I do know that after awhile I get tired, frustrated and grouchy with all the piles of papers and junk and disorganized areas of the house. A house with little kids will never look like a museum - and never should - but I could definitely use a little more order in my life and I know the difference it makes.

When I do clean up an area and have it organized it makes my life run a little bit smoother. (Who can't use that?!) I am more at peace and feel that I am better accomplishing my mission in life - to raise a happy family and make our home a little taste of heaven on earth as we work towards entering our eternal home. It is my small way of showing God that I love him - to put aside my natural messy tendencies and find the orderly and creative woman I know is lurking in there somewhere.

So I've decided to start "Operation Clean and Organize." Every week (or two) I'll post what I am working on and how it is progressing. To start things off, I sat down and made a list of all the chores I need to do each day and those I can do once a week. I used the Family Chore Chart from iheartorganizing to organize my list. (I still haven't figured out the quarterly or annual jobs. I'm barely getting the basics down.) Here is what I have so far. View image. As the weeks go by, I'll tweak it as needed. (And although, prayer time isn't a "chore" I wrote it down as a reminder that it can't be skipped. ;-)

There is a small wall in my kitchen that is covered by the swing door that leads into the family room. I hung up the chart on that wall after I put it in a $1.99 Ikea frame that I had. I can use a dry erase marker to check off the list as I complete my work. I also hung up a clipboard that holds our Family Home To-Do List. I went through each room in the house and wrote down everything I wanted to do in there - from cleaning out closets to dusting tops of book shelves - as well as other projects I'd like to work on - from organizing the photos to updating my recipe binder to finishing the baby books. It may take years to complete my list but at least I can work on one thing at a time instead of doing ten projects at once and finishing none!

I also hung up in my kitchen a small board next to the counter where I cook and prepare food. I use it to keep notes and jot down things I need to remember. Above it I hung up (using removable Command hooks) a clip board for the recipes I'll be cooking that week. I can read the recipe off the clipboard as I'm fixing it. So far it has worked great.

Next project - Making a weekly menu.

Are you working on organizing your home? Is your home already organized? Share your stories and tips in the comment section. Thanks!

UPDATE: (9/9/11) Misty at Misty's Mornings Blog has some creative ideas in her post Creating An Autumn Rhythm {four steps to a cleaning schedule}. I love making lists but not because I'm super organized. Sadly, the opposite. If I don't write things down, I completely forget those same things! Anyway, Misty has some great ideas and advice, so head over and check it out.

The other day I was talking about how I can't seem to live up to the standards of the seemingly "perfect" mom bloggers out there. Now I know that we are just getting a tiny glimpse into their lives and that they have their own struggles too but you've got to admit that some moms just have it more together than others. I'm one of the "others." I'm resigned to the fact that I'm never going to be a Catholic "Martha Stewart type" but I've got my good points and they'd be able to come out more often if I was a tad more organized.

Case in point, when you enter into our home you immediately see the entry way, the front room (where my desk and "office area" is) and the dining room. The area is surrounded with windows that look out to a beautiful view. However, we never use the dining room and the table has become the catch all for piles of junk and things that need to get sorted and put away. Since the table is such a mess I tend to keep the curtains shut and just add to the piles. The other day I finally cleared everything off the table and opened wide all the curtains. There was so much light and beauty outside that it literally lifted my spirits and I was a more lovable mom to my kids! (Stop laughing.)

Although I'm a mess cat, I do hate all the clutter and feel so much better when things are tidy and organized. But to get me to do it and keep it up, well, that's another story. My youngest sister has been visiting and she kept the kids occupied so I got a good head start in cleaning and organizing the house. However, she flew back to So Cal on Tuesday (huge sniff) and I'm back on my own. So I decided that each day I'll pick one small thing that I can work on that day. Something I can realistically accomplish in between the dishes and diapers and dirty laundry.

My first general task is to make sure that when I wake up in the early morn to feed the baby (or pump), I'll use that time to say my morning prayers and read the gospel for the day. Since I always have my iphone with me and it has my prayer book and missal on it (I love the imissal app!) there is no excuse. That quiet time praying and just talking to God always helps me to get through the day better.

My "just for today" task is to keep an eye on that dining room table and when I see things starting to pile up on it I'll have the kids take what belongs to them. ("Bella, put away your drawings. Andrew, take Buzz and Lighting back to your room. JP, throw away this half eaten apple...) While they are doing that, I'll put the junk mail in the recycling bin, put the empty gifts bags back in the wrapping box, put the Costco items away in the garage pantry and open those windows and let the light shine in!

Who knows, maybe in a year from now some other struggling mother will look at me and say, "How does Bobbi do it all and still seem so sane??" Hahahaha! Okay, I couldn't even say that with a straight face but one step at a time, baby. One step at a time.