Closet Organization Part 1

We all have at least one closet that plagues us. You open the door and stuff just starts falling out, nothing is organized, and you can never find what you need. I decided to tackle the closets in my home....one at a time. Really, they all needed a makeover.


First on the list was the entryway closet. It is used daily, and is supposed to only have shoes, coats, backpacks- all the things we need walking out the door. It worked great for a few weeks, but then it just became a pile of stuff in the floor. It would take ten minutes of sorting to find matching shoes, and the coats all had shoe prints on them. I started with this one because it was an easy fix, and didn't require any money.

This was the before:

You can see the piles of stuff on the floor, and the mismatched and assorted clothing, though no coats, hanging up. 

First step: pull everything out of the closet. I didn't take pictures along the way, though I should have. I had a mountain of shoes on the floor, a basket for all the coats and assorted clothing, and of course a trash bag handy. 

Second step: sort it all out. Sorting didn't take very long, and I enlisted the help of the kids. I had them line up all the shoes along the wall, and find the matches. Whatever didn't match went into a separate basket to be dealt with later. Since I knew there were shoes in every other room of the house, it was just easiest to house all the singles together until I got to the other closets. 

Third step: figure out a system that would work. We've always had a shoe rack by the door way, but when we moved here, it didn't fit in the narrow hall closet. With three kids and mountains of shoes, there's no shortage of shoe storage around the house. I decided to pull one them out of the master bedroom, since it fit perfectly. My back-up plan was to have hubby build a simple shelf, but this worked out perfectly. I labeled each shelf with a child's name, and they only have three spaces. Sneakers, sandals, wild card. 

Final step: Put it all back together. This wasn't so bad, and once I got the shelf in there, everything had a place. The shoes went into the shoe rack, there was a space just big enough for backpacks, and rain boots got stacked on top of the shoe rack. I hung up all the jackets and coats and put hats and gloves in the pockets of the heavy coats.

The end result:

I once again have a closet floor! Now everyone has easy access to the most-used shoes, and everything is ready to walk out the door!

One Week Challenge!

I have a fairly slow week planned, so I thought I would take this opportunity to really get something done around the house. I have no major commitments until next Monday, so I have 7 days to really do some damage around here. There are numerous things I've been putting on, and now I WILL get them done!

Step 1. Make a list. This part I'm particularly awesome at. So awesome, in fact, that I usually spend all my time making the perfect list and never actually accomplish anything. I need a list of all the chores to be done, probably organized according to priority and time commitment. Maybe color coded. Or alphabetized! But I digress...

I know off hand that I need to vacuum the stairs, they're still glittery from Christmas decorations.
I also really need to clean the microwave. Husband hasn't learned to cover food yet, and it's ick.
I desperately need to clean out and organize my desk again. This seems to be a monthly chore.
I should probably get the bookshelf reorganized, before it collapses from the uneven weight.
I can see numerous handprints on the kitchen windows, I should probably clean that.
I really need to clean out the pantry, it's been a while since it had an overhaul.
I would like to get all the laundry done and put away, but let's be serious. I'll settle for a third of it.
I need to get all the bedding washed and put back where it goes...the kids made a fort over the weekend and now everything is a mess.

So, that's eight things. I have seven days. But the laundry will probably take the entire week to sift through, because my dryer is ancient and takes a couple hours, slowing down the process. So this week I will tackle one chore a day, and three loads of laundry a day. Hopefully by next week I can see my bedroom floor!

Now, how does one vacuum stairs? I've never done it alone, always with a partner. But Husband is not likely to be around, nor help even if he is here. I would like to get it done before Big Kid comes home from school, but I should probably make lunch first. You can see how this usually goes...


**I managed to get everything done, except vacuum the stairs.  I vacuumed the top half I could easily reach, and the bottom stairs I could easily reach, but the middle stairs still look pretty rough. I took a broom and swept everything down, so I could reach it, but there's still glitter I couldn't get up. **

Here's An Oldie: Febreze Me!

This is an excerpt from the original blog, and it still makes me giggle.

     Do you remember a few years ago, when everything that came out was "also a camera!"? Everything you got had a camera built in. Cell phones starting advertising mega-pixels. Mp3 players allowed you to take videos. Go to buy an apple, and it has a built in camera to watch you digest it. Everything had a freaking camera in it! It was annoying for a while, but now we just accept that every piece of technology comes with a camera. Web-cams attached, face time for I-phones, video chatting, hell even some cosmetics have cameras so you can check your face without a mirror! Whatever. I like taking pics.

     I also like Febreze. I like it. I'm not in love with it, I don't want to marry it, and I don't want to bathe in it to smell it every second. But apparently, the makers of Febreze want me to. Everything now comes with Febreze Freshness. First there was the air freshener. Ok, that makes sense. Then came candles. Not a far leap, some people don't like sprays. Then cleaners. Not bad, who wants to smell bleach? Then they put it in fabric softeners and laundry detergents. Sounds good to me, I douse all my clothes in Febreze anyway, now this just saves me an extra step. Then came kitty litter with Febreze. While I appreciate the idea of not wanting to smell kitty litter all day, I doubt anybody is fooled walking by the litter box. Your friends don't go snooping around it, checking for odors. And if it smells than dang bad, CHANGE IT!! Take out the poop! How hard is that?! But last night, as I was mindlessly watching TV at 3am, thumbing through infomercials for my favorites (yes, I have favorites!) I saw a commercial that caught my eye. Trash bags. Glad Force Flex specifically. Trash bags, with the remarkable technology to fit an entire grand piano and not break, thought they needed an improvement. They added Febreze! Why?? Who is smelling your trash? Is your trash really that bad? Quit throwing away so much food! Wasteful. Take your trash out more often! Laziness. Here's a thought- go to the dollar store and buy a lid for it! Simple. WHY does everything need to come with Febreze Freshness??? Does it harness some magical power I didn't know about? Do they really think they are SO awesome, they can overcome the smell of rotting food and dirty litter boxes?

     Well, I'm here to help Febreze Marketers. I'm going to help you branch out. You know what Febreze lovers really want? Perfume. We can smell it all day. With accompanying body wash and lotions. And, let's go ahead and make some paint with it too. Not only would you avoid that fresh wet paint odor, you could be greeted by Febreze Freshness as son as you walk in the door- without have to walk past those creepy motion detecting air freshener discs. I don't like feeling stalked in my own home. It's just unnerving. Let's also make Febreze toothbrushes and toothpaste. Forget old fashioned mint flavors! That's a sure sign you're trying too hard, that just-brushed-my-teeth-in-case-you-want-to-kiss-me smell is SO last season! Everyone wants to brush with Febreze. Febreze Tic Tacs would also be nice. It's like a freshness party in my mouth! My date would never know I brushed for 20 minutes in case he wanted to tongue me later or have a hot make-out session after dinner. It goes with my perfume!

     I think the next ridiculous product that should be shoved down your throat and come in everything you buy is a pair of tweezers. Seriously. The people who WANT them can never find a pair when they need them. And the people who truly NEED them, obviously have no clue they exist. The uni-brow is completely preventable! There is no longer any excuse for overgrown lip hair and bushy brows. It's gross. You make me want to gouge out my eyes and pour bleach on my retinas when I see your Mr Bean like face. Invest in a mirror. Perhaps you haven't seen yourself in 10 years. That's the only excuse for your furry existence.

Awesome Mommy Blogs

I come across blogs all day long, some of them funny, some of them sad. But then I'll find one that just grabs me and pulls me right in. These are a few of my top favorite blogs:

Cleaning Blogs

A Slob Comes Clean
Clean Mama
Happy Cleaning

Organizing Blogs

I Heart Organizing
Organizing Junkie
Creative Organizing

Homeschooling Blogs

Confessions of A Homeschooler
Alasandra's Homeschool
The Thinking Mother

SAHM Blogs

The Unexpected SAHM
Confessions of A Stay-At-Home-Mom
The Floundering SAHM
Musings From A SAHM

Funny Blogs

Let Me Start By Saying
Hot Mess Mom
Not Your Average Mom
Peanut Butter Hair

Working Mom Blogs

Crazy Working Mom
Jes Delights
Drama Free Mama

Crafty Blogs

The Crafty Blog Stalker
One Crafty Mother
Scattered Thoughts of A Crafty Mom