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jdostalik
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| Posted: May 02 2006 at 11:55am | IP Logged
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Okay ladies. I need some inspiration here. I have been feeling bogged down a bit lately by all the myriad of chores and household projects needing my attention. I feel the urge to get some spring cleaning done, but want to choose wisely.
If you all could choose one task that you accomplished in your home AND that was maintained over time with "relative" ease, what would it be??
For instance, when I was pregnant with my 19 month old, I got so frustrated searching for my spices to make spaghetti sauce, that I went out, purchased
these shelves. Then, I cleaned out the spice cabinet, and alphabetized all my spices, throwing out the old tins that I knew were ancient. Almost 2 years later, my spices are STILL organized and neat and this has made a huge difference when it comes to baking and cooking. My kids and I can just reach in and get what we need, lickety-split!
So, do any of you all have success stories like this? Projects that are worth our time? Or am I just dreaming? 
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God Bless,
Jennifer in TX
wife to Bill, mom to six here on earth and eight in heaven.
Let the Little Ones Come
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LisaD
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| Posted: May 02 2006 at 3:07pm | IP Logged
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Closets are my thing. My kids' closets are horrible right now. I would love them to be organized, so that things are easy to find, and easy to put away.
After my last baby was born, my mom stayed with us for a week and cleaned out my "Harry Potter closet" (large space under the stairs), that had giant piles of stuff on the floor. Everything from backpacks, to wrapping paper, to baby bouncers, and the vacuum cleaner. Mom put hooks up all around and hung everything she could up off of the floor, got plastic storage containers, and ruthlessly tossed things I was never going to use. It is wonderful, and it's been almost 4 months and the closet is still organized!
If money was no object, I would hire a professional home organizer and have the entire house cleaned out and organized! Organization just isn't my strong point...
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~Lisa
Mama to dd(99), ds(01), ds(03) and ds(06)
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Magnificat
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Location: Virginia
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| Posted: May 02 2006 at 10:08pm | IP Logged
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As horrible as it sounds, keeping my own bedroom spiffy and organized would be a dream !  I make the bed every day, and make sure everything is tidy-but it seems to be almost a blend of all the kid's rooms, laundry room and bookroom!! Although we don't spend too much time there, the "after dinner traffic" tends to head that way for some reason.
We read books in our bed, so there's the answer to the books-which is fine. That really doesn't bother me. But, there's the mending pile, the somthing that's missing something and needs to be fixed pile, papers that need to be filed or whatever. It's just neverending.
I try to make Saturdays the day to spend cleaning just our room, but something always comes up and it gets knocked down on the priority list.
Perhaps airing this has given me the motivation to take care of some of these things!
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~~~Proud To Be A Mom To 3!!!~~~
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Anne Marie M
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| Posted: May 03 2006 at 8:21am | IP Logged
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I'm watching for ideas! We had a reporter come in yesterday to interview my son who's going to the International Science & Engineering Fair. . . but also wanted to "take pictures of us as we homeschooled." 
So, the living areas of my house are beautiful - and I want to keep them that way. But you should see my bedroom! Piles, boxes, etc. And I'm sorting through homeschooling stuff to pass things on. And it's time to go through kids' clothes again. And we're way behind on "schoolwork" anyhow. And we have company coming this week.
Okay, I'm through whining. Time to work!
Anne Marie
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jdostalik
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| Posted: May 03 2006 at 8:52am | IP Logged
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Lisa,
Organized closets are my dream. I clean out every closet in our house at least twice a year but they always end up needing attention as they are just too easy to throw stuff in and shut the door..
I wonder how much a "professional organizer" charges? Have any of you ladies looked into this?
Charlotte and Anne Marie,
My bedroom sounds like it functions a lot like yours...I do try to make my bed daily--this gives me such a good feeling--even though the magazines and books and precious pictures made just for Mommy end up there and what can I do with them all? I think I have found my project--it would be very nice to have a nice bedroom to truly enjoy at the end of a long day...or for a nap! Well, maybe not a nap, but I can dream...(pun intended).
I was at IKEA about a month ago and they had some inexpensive bedroom accents that I was interested in...but dh was in a hurry...he often is when he goes shopping with me...kind of afraid that if I linger, he will be much, much poorer.. I went to their site and you can pick your bedroom mood here. This could keep me busy for a while!
Oh, and Anne Marie, congrats to your son--for attending the science fair. You must be proud...
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God Bless,
Jennifer in TX
wife to Bill, mom to six here on earth and eight in heaven.
Let the Little Ones Come
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Anne Marie M
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| Posted: May 03 2006 at 9:05am | IP Logged
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Thanks, Jennifer.
You know, the really sad thing was that my room was pretty clean before the mad "stash and dash." My goal today is to get it (at least mostly) back to that state.
Anne Marie
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Magnificat
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| Posted: May 03 2006 at 9:21am | IP Logged
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As I'm reading through these posts, another monster lurks. What DO you do with all these wonderful treasures the children make? I have ALOT of artwork posted in the hallway (I call it our family art gallery). Also, I have many binders and storage boxes for each child for their art pieces. But still, you can't possibly keep everything. What about really big projects?? Do you keep them? Do you take picture of them and then....what?? How do your kids feel about keeping them..or not??? For instance, the Mary baskets. What do you do with these say... in July?
This is part of my frustration in my house, although I keep it to myself. I love EVERYTHING my kids make, I'm just running out of wallspace and shelfspace!!
You all are so awesome! Thank goodness for this outlet!
Charlotte
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~~~Proud To Be A Mom To 3!!!~~~
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jdostalik
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| Posted: May 03 2006 at 10:17am | IP Logged
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I have to say that I can be pretty brutal when I get in a decluttering mood...I do keep some of the kids' artwork/projects in a special box on a shelf in my closet. But most of them get displayed for a while and then tossed. I do have a file folder for each child where I put their drawings that they want to keep...As far as treasures that your child has created or found...you know, those rocks, shells, dandelions...I was talking to a friend about all those special kid treasures recently. She gives her kids one large plastic box (the kind that fit under the bed). This is where all their treasures go--when it gets full, they have to figure out what to toss or give away to someone who lives OUTSIDE the home! 
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God Bless,
Jennifer in TX
wife to Bill, mom to six here on earth and eight in heaven.
Let the Little Ones Come
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ShawnaB
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| Posted: May 03 2006 at 3:35pm | IP Logged
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Our School Room is the focus of my spring cleaning. Actually, it will probably happen in June. We are extremely fortunate to have a wonderful school room that was once our attached garage, now finished. This was a very long winter, and we spent SO much time in this room. It is really in need of a purge and deep cleaning. The books need to be organized, the manipulatives and games, puzzles, art supplies, and of course our curriculum resources...all need to be re-organized. Everything was so pristine last August, and now I feel that we are a living experient demonstrating the Second Law of Thermodynamics (everything naturally moves from order to chaos.)
As far as the art work goes, we hang a lot on clothes lines stretched across the school room ceiling, and also on our bulletin boards. When things start looking full and cluttered, I ask the kids to choose what project they want to take down and store, and what they want to toss. Its kind of fun, because we look forward to creating new things to look at. Usually, the kids are more brutal than I am! I keep a box of hanging folders labeled with each month, and I put all of their finished work and projects there. I add the art work that they want to keep, and sometimes pieces that they don't want to keep too, if I just can't part with them.
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Shawna, wife of Jacob, mom to Abraham 8 Amelia 5 and Jillian & Jonathan age 3 years http://www.psalm121family.com
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Spring Cleaning
