Chaos Control Check-in?

unaveragejane · November 2014

Would anybody be interested in a weekly check-in to share ideas on how to tame the craziness of running a household inhabited by tiny masters of wreckage and destruction? To make it manageable, we could maybe tackle one area at a time, like laundry, ironing, dishes, organizing pantries, etc. Please tell me I'm not the only one who needs help in this area. (PS @theultimatesak - Your blackboards inspired this thought, so it's all your fault. Thanks.)

TJ1979 · November 2014

OMG if we could have like a weekly challenge such as organizing the pantry that would be awesome. I have so many things I want to do around the house, but I get too overwhelmed and don't do shit.

TJ1979 · November 2014

And if we could post pantry before-and-after pics, that would rock my world. Because I am SUCH a food-voyeur.

Unknown · November 2014

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sarenu1 · November 2014

I can post a picture later, but I've started organizing our front closet.

Honestly, my house is a mess. So you aren't alone. I've started trying to do a few extra things each night. I always:

1. Make bottles

2. Empty C's diaper bag from daycare

3. Pack C's diaper bag

4. Wash dishes

5. Do one load of laundry

6. Try to put away one load of laundry (this doesn't always happen)

Then I try to add one thing that doesn't take up much time. Like clear a few items off the kitchen counter, pay bills, clean the bathroom, file paperwork.

Question for everyone. How do you store your kid's art projects? We regularly get craft projects back from daycare and I have no idea what to do with them.

sarenu1 · November 2014

Also, key storage? What does everyone do with their keys?

I'm thinking of getting a little shelf to put them on by the door.

Side note: I really need to clean my walls in the entry way.

TJ1979 · November 2014

sarenu1 said:

Also, key storage? What does everyone do with their keys?

I'm thinking of getting a little shelf to put them on by the door.

Side note: I really need to clean my walls in the entry way.

We have a mirror that hangs by our garage door with 4 little key hooks and a tiny shelf. We keep sunglasses and car keys on it, plus I can check my lip gloss before I walk out the door.

Brandiewine11 · November 2014

sarenu1 said:

Also, key storage? What does everyone do with their keys?

I'm thinking of getting a little shelf to put them on by the door.

Side note: I really need to clean my walls in the entry way.

We have a little wooden box on the wall with pegs for keys. It closes so its not immediately obvious that it holds keys, and it is not right by the door. This is important because you don't want random people (service providers, etc) to have easy access if they are in your house.

And I really like the idea of a weekly challenge. I need to get more stuff done. DH would thank you.

TJ1979 · November 2014

Oh, and art projects - we put relevant stuff (Christmas art during the holidays, etc.) on the fridge. Then we choose one item per quarter to put in her baby book. Everything else MH has to put in the trash/recycle because it makes me cry to do it.

sarenu1 · November 2014

TJ1979 said:

Oh, and art projects - we put relevant stuff (Christmas art during the holidays, etc.) on the fridge. Then we choose one item per quarter to put in her baby book. Everything else MH has to put in the trash/recycle because it makes me cry to do it.

I'm thinking I might pick a few items and take pictures of anything I think is cute.

I'm also thinking of getting some of those removable hooks and clothes line so she can hang up her art on the wall.

sarenu1 · November 2014

TJ1979 said:

sarenu1 said:

Also, key storage? What does everyone do with their keys?

I'm thinking of getting a little shelf to put them on by the door.

Side note: I really need to clean my walls in the entry way.

We have a mirror that hangs by our garage door with 4 little key hooks and a tiny shelf. We keep sunglasses and car keys on it, plus I can check my lip gloss before I walk out the door.

Where did you get it from?

CLLDLL · November 2014

sarenu1 said:

I can post a picture later, but I've started organizing our front closet.

Honestly, my house is a mess. So you aren't alone. I've started trying to do a few extra things each night. I always:

1. Make bottles
2. Empty C's diaper bag from daycare
3. Pack C's diaper bag
4. Wash dishes
5. Do one load of laundry
6. Try to put away one load of laundry (this doesn't always happen)

Then I try to add one thing that doesn't take up much time. Like clear a few items off the kitchen counter, pay bills, clean the bathroom, file paperwork.

Question for everyone. How do you store your kid's art projects? We regularly get craft projects back from daycare and I have no idea what to do with them.

The trash? Seriously though, I learned around the time D finished kindergarten that as much as I want to, I cannot keep every single art project. There's just no room. So now I keep the ones that mean a lot to him and the ones that have stuff like hand prints and footprints. I have a wicker basket with a lid that's like 24" x 12" for each kid. Newly created projects hang on my fridge for a week or so. Then we decide if it's a toss or keep. Keeps get put in the basket, which is in my basement.

I'm in too. I'm like TJ and get overwhelmed with so much to do and end up doing nothing.

sarenu1 · November 2014

CLLDLL said:

sarenu1 said:

I can post a picture later, but I've started organizing our front closet.

Honestly, my house is a mess. So you aren't alone. I've started trying to do a few extra things each night. I always:

1. Make bottles
2. Empty C's diaper bag from daycare
3. Pack C's diaper bag
4. Wash dishes
5. Do one load of laundry
6. Try to put away one load of laundry (this doesn't always happen)

Then I try to add one thing that doesn't take up much time. Like clear a few items off the kitchen counter, pay bills, clean the bathroom, file paperwork.

Question for everyone. How do you store your kid's art projects? We regularly get craft projects back from daycare and I have no idea what to do with them.

The trash? Seriously though, I learned around the time D finished kindergarten that as much as I want to, I cannot keep every single art project. There's just no room. So now I keep the ones that mean a lot to him and the ones that have stuff like hand prints and footprints. I have a wicker basket with a lid that's like 24" x 12" for each kid. Newly created projects hang on my fridge for a week or so. Then we decide if it's a toss or keep. Keeps get put in the basket, which is in my basement.

I'm in too. I'm like TJ and get overwhelmed with so much to do and end up doing nothing.

Oh I know, I recycle and trash a lot already. But I was curious what people did with the ones they want to keep. She's almost 3 and I have a decent pile of art work I need to go through.

flummadiddle85 · November 2014

sarenu1 said:

I can post a picture later, but I've started organizing our front closet.

Honestly, my house is a mess. So you aren't alone. I've started trying to do a few extra things each night. I always:

1. Make bottles
2. Empty C's diaper bag from daycare
3. Pack C's diaper bag
4. Wash dishes
5. Do one load of laundry
6. Try to put away one load of laundry (this doesn't always happen)

Then I try to add one thing that doesn't take up much time. Like clear a few items off the kitchen counter, pay bills, clean the bathroom, file paperwork.

Question for everyone. How do you store your kid's art projects? We regularly get craft projects back from daycare and I have no idea what to do with them.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/m-blazoned/the-default-parent_b_6031128.html

I've felt like this lately ^ Surely I can't be the only one who feels like they take care of everything baby/child related.

I don't do too badly trying to keep the house in somewhat order, but we also have people over all week. So I feel like I have to keep the house looking somewhat presentable, as in there isn't crap everywhere. Crap is isolated to a junk drawer, the office desk, and a few other spots. What I need help in is big cleaning projects. Floors, bathrooms, etc. Our master bathroom is disgusting.

sarenu1 · November 2014

flummadiddle85 said:

sarenu1 said:

I can post a picture later, but I've started organizing our front closet.

Honestly, my house is a mess. So you aren't alone. I've started trying to do a few extra things each night. I always:

1. Make bottles
2. Empty C's diaper bag from daycare
3. Pack C's diaper bag
4. Wash dishes
5. Do one load of laundry
6. Try to put away one load of laundry (this doesn't always happen)

Then I try to add one thing that doesn't take up much time. Like clear a few items off the kitchen counter, pay bills, clean the bathroom, file paperwork.

Question for everyone. How do you store your kid's art projects? We regularly get craft projects back from daycare and I have no idea what to do with them.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/m-blazoned/the-default-parent_b_6031128.html
I've felt like this lately ^ Surely I can't be the only one who feels like they take care of everything baby/child related.

I don't do too badly trying to keep the house in somewhat order, but we also have people over all week. So I feel like I have to keep the house looking somewhat presentable, as in there isn't crap everywhere. Crap is isolated to a junk drawer, the office desk, and a few other spots. What I need help in is big cleaning projects. Floors, bathrooms, etc. Our master bathroom is disgusting.

It used to be that way. After about a month of me doing everything listed above, I started asking my husband to help.

He usually does the dishes every night for me. So while I clean diapers, pack diapers, make bottles. He's washing up the dishes. Or if I get diapers done before he gets our daughter to sleep and I start the dishes, he will set up the bottles for the next day.

Kelly11235 · November 2014

sarenu1 said:

Also, key storage? What does everyone do with their keys?

I'm thinking of getting a little shelf to put them on by the door.

We have a bowl on our kitchen island, which is a few steps away from the door we use 99% of the time. It's a decorative bowl that I think is supposed to be used for candy. We keep our keys and our extra garage door opener in there.

Before that, I had a magnetic hook that I stuck on the metal door and hung my keys on.

TJ1979 · November 2014

@sarenu1 My guess would be hobby lobby. We've had it for about 5 years now.

Unknown · November 2014

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Unknown · November 2014

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sarenu1 · November 2014

Crafts are stored in the basement in a box at the moment.

Crayons are stored in an extra wipes container. I put this on top of our china cabinet. Then I keep coloring books in the drawer.

Unknown · November 2014

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TJ1979 · November 2014

SAK you really need to get groovebook. It's super cheap, you just select 100 pics at a time off your cell phone, and they send you the book. You get a book each month.

Unknown · November 2014

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countrycotton · November 2014

For storing kid art project, specifily anything just on a sheet of paper. I plan on getting a file cabinet. Collecting all drawing for the month in one folder for each month. Then at the end of the year selecting one or two pictures from each month, place those in a file for the year. The rest get trashed. I figure this way I will have a small area with a manageable amount of art/school work ect that can be kept for memories.

Mandmeesh · November 2014

I just heard this morning that a citrus/orange scent in your house will help motivate to clean

Mandmeesh · November 2014

And MK I love that you take pictures of art and make a book. Very awesome

What about large binders with sheet protectors?

Unknown · November 2014

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stoneycakes · November 2014

Mandmeesh said:

I just heard this morning that a citrus/orange scent in your house will help motivate to clean

Sweet! I'm just bought the stuff to make my clove oranges. Maybe they'll make me want to clean more.

stoneycakes · November 2014

I am so in on this challenge! My pantry and my fridge are both places that have been high on the list for needing organizing. I was planning on converting a closet into pantry, but lately I've been thinking I'd have a lot more space in my existing kitchen cabinets if I kept them organized. I think I can actually make myself put things away in the same spaces every time if I label each shelf with what belongs there. I know it will drive me crazy to have things in the wrong place if there are labels. OCD for the win!

flummadiddle85 · November 2014

Oh yea, my cabinet with all the plastic storage containers is a giant mess again. It never seems to stay organized for long.

Unknown · November 2014

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unaveragejane · November 2014

Okay, I'll make a list of the things we want to try to organize, clean, and whatnot. We can share strategies for particular areas and shoot to do a weekly challenge. It sounds like pantries will be a good place to start. (Mine was organized last October, but it needs SO much work ATM.)

I keep my keys on a carabiner attached to my diaper bag which hangs in our "mudroom" (hallway to the garage).

And SAK, I'm totally stealing your cork board idea. I have a smaller one sitting unused in a closet, and it will be perfect for this.

stoneycakes · November 2014

Pantry related question: What cabinets do you use to store your food if you don't have a dedicated pantry area? I'm still figuring out how best to set up my kitchen. I have my food in the deep cabinets next to the fridge and I'm constantly losing things in the back. I'm thinking about switching it to the shallower cabinets next to my stove so I can better see what's in there at a glance. There's less space there, but maybe I could still keep one of the deeper cabinets for food stuff I use less often. Thoughts?

Unknown · November 2014

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unaveragejane · November 2014

@stoneycakes - I use the deep cabinets for food -- but I call that my pantry. It has pull-out shelf/drawers on sliders in the bottom half, but for the top half I bought baskets that fit on the shelves. I can fit two per shelf, and then I can fit a little bit of stuff in front or behind the baskets. It wastes some space, but now I know what's where and I can get to everything (even in the back) by pulling down a basket. Heavy stuff like canned goods go in the bottom sliders. Lighter stuff like pasta and things for baking go up top in the baskets. I used this blog to help me organize my kitchen. https://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/08/its-here-kitchen-cabinet-tour.html

stoneycakes · November 2014

theultimatesak said:

Pantry related question: What cabinets do you use to store your food if you don't have a dedicated pantry area? I'm still figuring out how best to set up my kitchen. I have my food in the deep cabinets next to the fridge and I'm constantly losing things in the back. I'm thinking about switching it to the shallower cabinets next to my stove so I can better see what's in there at a glance. There's less space there, but maybe I could still keep one of the deeper cabinets for food stuff I use less often. Thoughts?
I'm confused, your cabinets are different depths?

Yeah. The cabinets next to the stove are part of a peninsula where the counter overhangs them and you can put stools. So they're shallow to accommodate that.

stoneycakes · November 2014

unaveragejane said:

@stoneycakes - I use the deep cabinets for food -- but I call that my pantry. It has pull-out shelf/drawers on sliders in the bottom half, but for the top half I bought baskets that fit on the shelves. I can fit two per shelf, and then I can fit a little bit of stuff in front or behind the baskets. It wastes some space, but now I know what's where and I can get to everything (even in the back) by pulling down a basket. Heavy stuff like canned goods go in the bottom sliders. Lighter stuff like pasta and things for baking go up top in the baskets. I used this blog to help me organize my kitchen. https://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/08/its-here-kitchen-cabinet-tour.html

I just looked at the blog and she clearly does half of the eating and twice the cleaning that I do. LOL.

Unknown · November 2014

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Unknown · November 2014

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sarenu1 · November 2014

The daily thing is not going to work for me. More like two small tasks a week.

stoneycakes · November 2014

@TheultimateSAK, how come you hate chalkboard paint? Does it not work as well as real chalkboards? Because I was thinking of making myself a large chalkboard with the paint, but now I'm wondering if should suck it up and spend the money on a real one.

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