SAHM

Well, hello there. Long time, no see. Well, I have had another baby. Levi Phillip and he is 2 weeks old. Emma will be 3 in August. How time flies huh?

I've had some pretty serious insomnia (like 1-3 hours of sleep total each and every night) since the beginning of the year so my doctor wrote me off of work for the last 2 months. Now I get 8 weeks of maternity leave. Needless to say, I've been home with the kids a lot. I do love it and I am considering quitting my job to be able to stay home full time. The problem is that I feel like a complete failure as a mother and wife staying home all day. I feel like nothing gets done around the house because I have a 2 year old to chase and pick up after. I feel like I don't have enough planned activities for her to do and she gets bored. That's not fair to her. Now I have a newborn who is literally attached to me all day. We're still in the blissful sleep-all-day stage but that will soon change. With him literally needing me to survive it makes my days very long. I feel like I'm doing a good job balancing out my time between the two kids so Emma doesn't feel left out, but that's about the only thing good I'm doing. Nothing gets done around the house and I have a pile of laundry the size of a small island on my bathroom floor all sorted waiting for it's turn in the machine.

I had this grand vision of what it would be like when I was able to stay home. I was planning an activity for the kids each day, one household chore a day, and just picking things up to keep the house tidy. Boy was I wrong. Although I make sure all of the dishes are done and I vacuum my living room darn near everyday, my house needs dusting, I see new cobwebs in the corners and dangling from the ceiling daily, I need to mop my tile floors, laundry is piling up and waits clean in the dryer until we're ready to wear it, our kitchen island is a drop zone for stuff that doesn't have a home, and our clutter seems to just move it's way around the house to out of sight places. It's driving me crazy. I did find several lists for stay-at-home moms online that attempt to give you a schedule to follow. I really liked these and wrote them down in my planner. I do my best to follow these lists but still haven't been able to make them a daily habit yet. I'm doing my best, but it's not quite good enough yet.

What is your biggest household challenge? What do you do when you feel like your best isn't enough?

Green & Crunchy…

Now that Emma has entered our lives, Jake and I are much more aware of the products that we use. Our eyes have been opened and it’s a little disturbing. I was told by a friend of mine about a great blog called Crunchy Betty. There are many recipes for natural face washes, shampoos, laundry detergent, etc. After looking at this site, I have started using the "honey and baking soda method to wash my face and I have to say that I really like it so far. My face seems clearer with fewer breakouts, smoother texture, smaller pores and is less oily… no joke. I’m eager to make more of the products she has listed like lotion bars, solid perfumes, and maybe some homemade makeup. Who knows?

Rejuvenated

Well after a 14 month hiatus, I’m ready to blog again.

Since my last posting I’ve had a baby girl named Emma. She is just the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen. Aren’t they all? She has helped me to see what is really important in life. I’ve always been aware of what products I use around the house, but now I’m very aware. I don’t want to use anything that could possibly harm her.

There is a website called Skin Deep that rates the safety of products from 0-10. It also informs you if the company conducts animal testing and of any potential health concerns or unsafe ingredients. It is INCREDIBLE and VERY DISAPPOINTING how many companies have potentially harmful ingredients and how many conduct animal testing. I don’t want that around my brand new baby girl. Did you know that Johnson & Johnson not only conducts animal testing but it’s products range from 0-10! Many of their products contain ingredients that have a high risk of “organ system toxicity” or “bioaccumulation.” See the report here. I would call Johnson & Johnson the leader in baby products but I don’t want these types of products on my baby, on any baby for that matter.

Oh, and FYI, I have also been told that talc in baby powder has been linked to ovarian cancer. Some ovarian tumors have been dissected and it has been discovered that some have talc inside. Plain cornstarch would be a much better bet.

California Baby



Earth Mama Angel Baby

2 brands that I use and love are California Baby and Earth Mama Angel Baby. Both are all natural and organic. Earth Mama seems to have a better Skin Deep rating (being rated a 0-1 and CA Baby is a 0-2 which is still very good). I have several of the Earth Mama products and I love them all. The CA Baby Calming (a lavander scent) does seem to help Emma to fall asleep fast and stay asleep longer. Earth Mama baby wash is an orange/vanilla scent, however, not all products have that scent. Some smell like yummy spices and seasonings you'd put on chicken or something. You don't get to pick scents. I feel great using both of these brands on Emma. Both can be bought at http://www.diapers.com/ 

As I clean my house I am going to take a long hard look at what I’m using around my family. I’m going to find better and safer products to use on Emma to expose her to the least amount of risk out there.

By eliminating potentially harmful products, I will have one less thing to worry about and my life will be that much more simple and in control.

I'mm Baack!

Well, hello there. I know, I know, it's been a really long time. I have been very busy and out of town a lot lately, but that's no excuse. Well, my goal was to have my closets organized by March 16th. That didn't happen. However, I did get my office/Mary Kay closet cleaned out, painted, and somewhat organized. We painted it a glossy white because it was so dark in there. Now the light bounces around and I can see everything! We also painted the shelves a light pink which match the pink on my Mary Kay products. Now it is officially my "Mary Kay Closet"!  By the way, it was my wonderful husband's idea to paint them pink. He even picked out the pink to match. I love him. All of my products are on shelves and organized. I have half of the closet set aside for cleaning supplies All I need to do for that closet is to organize my gift wrapping supplies. Piece of cake! So my new deadline is September 20th, one month from now to have this all done.

The next project is going to be the library closet and guest room closet so guests can actually hang clothes up and put their suitcases in there. I have boxes full of linens and towels so my plan is to make our coat closet a linen closet by adding shelves. That shouldn't be a huge project, just a one day deal.

I'm excited to get these done finally. We don't have plans to go out of town any time soon, so maybe I'll get some stuff done around here. Here's hoping.

“Green, But Not Crunchy”

On the 3 Boys and a Dog blog, I found this wonderful post which I just had to share with you. It is written by a woman named Cathy. She has a website called http://www.letsbegreentogether.com/ Here is how she cleans with natural, safe products. Here is a Non-Toxic Cleaning Solutions – Plus Recipes!' target=_blank>link to the posting directly but I have cut and pasted it here also. Enjoy.
Green Cleaning
I have to say I don’t really like the term “green cleaning.” Technically, I have considered myself green for about two years, but I prefer to call my cleaning non-toxic because I am a bit selfish. I clean without chemicals for the health of my family, but the environment happens to benefit as well.
You do not need chemicals to clean effectively and I hope I can offer you some ideas to accomplish this without breaking the bank. I often hear from people that they would be more eco-conscious, but it is just too expensive. This is simply not the case. I actually spend very little on cleaning products for my home so let’s get started with some of my favorite cleaning methods. I will break it down on a room-by-room basis.
Kitchen Cleaning
Whether you wash dishes in the sink or in the dishwasher, or both, you want to avoid things such as bleach, phosphates, or anything artificial. If there is fragrance make sure it comes from essential oils and not something that is manmade. A brand I love for both my sink washing and my dishwasher is Seventh Generation. Their products don’t leave my hands dry(come on, admit it, after a long date with the kitchen sink and chemical laden detergents, your hands are probably pretty dry, aren’t they? As an interesting note, I will share something that may surprise you. It is actually more eco-friendly to use a dishwasher than to wash the dishes in the sink. This is because the water goes in and is used the entire cycle, whereas often times when sink washing, we let gallons and gallons of water flush down the drain (a lot of which is hot water, too – yikes!).
One of the biggest money savers for me is the fact that I make my homemade spray cleaner for everything from kitchen cabinets to bathroom fixtures.

1. 24oz. spray bottle
2. 2 cups water
3. 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
4. 1 teaspoon castile soap
5. 20 drops tea tree oil
6. 20 drops favorite essential oil for scent. I love orange!

Added tip that has helped immensely: I took a permanent marker and wrote these ingredients on the side of the bottle so no need to try and keep track of a piece of paper that will probably just get lost.
My absolute favorite way to “dust” or polish wooden surfaces is with a simple mixture of olive oil and a few drop of essential oil. Orange, again, is one I just love for this. A little of this mixture goes a long way.
Bathroom Cleaning
I know, fun right? Not really. Well, first I use the spray cleaner for the mirrors and basically all surfaces including my sink. For the toilet, the commercial products out there are some of the most toxic for you to be using. All you need is either baking soda or Borax. Dump some in the bowl, leave it for about 15 minutes(I do it first then come back at the end of my bathroom cleaning) and scrub with toilet brush and flush. Done.
The tub…oh, the fun of cleaning the tub. I have the BEST recipe for that too, and you will actually enjoy breathing it in and won’t require any ventilation or open windows to avoid a headache while cleaning. That may have sounded like a joke, but think about it. Most of the products you clean with have those types of warnings on them. What does that tell you? They simply aren’t safe. Okay, back to the tub and my fabulous recipe. Here it is:

1. ½ cup baking soda
2. 3 tablespoons castile soap
3. 22 drops lavender essential oil
4. 10 drops tea tree oil

Mix the first two ingredients, then add the rest, and stir. It should form into a nice smooth paste (almost like frosting).
I hope all the information I have shared is at least a place to start for you. Even if you pick one room and start slowly, that’s great! Unless you are able to just get rid of all the bad stuff, I would finish what you already have and then start buying the better non-toxic stuff (or the ingredients for my homemade recipes).
Cathy loves to blog, eat a vegetarian diet, and keep her home as non-toxic as possible for her children and their well-being. She loves to be social on Twitter and would call herself green, but not crunchy! If you would like more green tips or to read her blog, please visit http://www.letsbegreentogether.com/.  She would love to hear from you!

‘Real Simple’ Daily Quick Cleaning Checklist

I was searching the Real Simple website last night and came across this wonderful checklist. It provides a list of things to do each day to keep your house looking neat between your weekly cleanings. This entire list should take less than 30 minutes! I’m going to give it a try. Check it out! Click here.

On My Way

Jake and I had our carpets cleaned last week by a great company called, "Free Carpet Care." No, the cleaning wasn't free but their last name is. Catchy huh? Anyway, they did a phenomenal job. They went into our office closet and saw a pile of broken down boxes on the floor. Sheri said she has a friend who is moving and needed boxes and asked if I would be willing to give them up. YES! Please take them! So, my office closet not only has a floor, but a clean one at that!

It's amazing how large it looks without the clutter on the floor. I'm on my way to having that closet cleaned out. My goal for our coming weekend (Tues and Wed) is to empty the closet completely, wipe down all of the shelves, and maybe finish painting in there so it flows with the rest of the room. I would also like to make our hall coat closet a linen closet instead by taking out the bar and adding more shelves.

Jake and I also had a friend of ours come over and analyze our bedroom. Jules is an interior designer and does decorative painting. She had some great ideas on where to put our furniture and some ideas for the walls to make things more interesting. I moved the furniture the other day and I'm very happy with it. We still have a lot more to do but I'm looking forward to making our bedroom a relaxing and beautiful place to be.

Tip 1, Reasons to Get Organzied

The tip for January 1 is, "What are your compelling reasons for getting organized? Write them down." Here are mine:

1. A cleaner house
2. A nicer looking home
3. More free time
4. Helping someone by donating my stuff
5. Have more visitors
6. Spend less time looking for things

What are yours?

A Month of Tips

While on The Clutter Diet Blog, I saw that there was a posting called Start the New Year Right: 31 Simple Tips for 31 Days. I clicked on the link in this blog and it took me to a January 2010 calendar. This calendar has one simple organizing tip for each day. Each thing is an easy 15 minute or so task designed to help get you more organized and decluttered by the end of January. By having a small task every day as opposed to many tasks once a week, decluttering seems less daunting and difficult. Thanks Lorie for this great breakdown!

Great Products at Fry's!

Jake and I were shopping at our neighborhood Fry’s grocery store in Prescott Valley and saw that they had a whole aisle just for natural household cleaners! They had Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyers Clean Day products, Kiss My Face, Holy Cow, Howard Natuals and many other products.

Seventh Generation makes paper towels, diapers, dish washing detergent, laundry detergent, household cleaners, etc. They use 100% recycled paper and plastic, they use no chlorine, and make phosphate free cleaners.

Mrs. Meyers makes many different home cleaners in “aromatherapeutic” scents such as lavender, lemon verbena, basil, and more. They even have baby products. They are earth friendly and cruelty free. The products are biodegradable and have all natural ingredients.

Kiss My Face has natural and organic facial cleansers and products, soaps, and cosmetics which have no artificial colors, no unnecessary chemicals, have not been tested on animals, and have no animal ingredients.

Now I have stainless steel appliances and I love the way they look. However, I do not like cleaning stainless. It isn't easy. I've used many different types of cleaners you can find in a store. I've also tried olive oil which gave it a beautiful shine. Our dog Nico love the oil too and he licked our refrigerator leaving tongue marks which took about a month of cleanings to get off. I found a product called Howard Naturals stainless steel cleaner. It is a vegetable-derived cleaner with yummy fragrances such as "Energizing Grapefruit-Ginger." I used it tonight and it is wonderful! No streaks and a high shine. They also have a wood cleaner and polish and a wood preservative that I would like to try. There is a granite and counter top cleaner and even an upholstery cleaner. All of the Howard Naturals products are earth friendly, kid and pet safe.

Holy Cow cleaners are great (see my other blog and the posting titled "Holy Cow!" on October 22, 2008). They come in 4 formulas ranging from all purpose to degreaser. These products are "biodegradable and non-hazardous and contain NO solvents, NO VOCs (volatile organic compounds), NO toxins, NO alcohol, NO ammonia, NO harmful oxygen-based bleach cleaners, NO citrus-based products which may dissolve rubber or plastics, and non hazardous, so it's safe for you and your family as well as for your animals" and from experience, I know they really work! You can use them on almost anything such as granite, jewelry, carpet, and even degrease engine parts!

I’m so excited that our local Fry’s has started carrying these products. You can find them in the center of the store in the aisle with the organic grocery items.

I feel like this is a huge step in the right direction.

A New Goal

It has been 54 days since my last posting. Sad huh? Where has all the time gone? Well, this holiday season has recked havoc on my house and organizing. A lot of what was organized is no longer. It seems as though a lot of time was wasted looking for where I put things such as gift bags, wrapping paper, and Christmas gifts I bought months ago. Of course I put them all in a safe place where I would know exactly where they were. Yeah, didn't quite work out that way.

My goal last year was to conquer all of my projects by Christmas and I am sad to say, I did not achieve my goal so I am setting a new one. It is going to be smaller and less menacing. My new goal is to have my library closet (aka Mary Kay closet), office closet, and guest room closet organized and decluttered by March 16th. That way, my birthday, March 17th will be nice and clutter-free. After my birthday, I will set another goal. Eventually, I will have my whole house organized and decluttered, maybe by the end of the year and that is OK with me. I have a lot to do and not much free time. I can live with taking a full year to get my house perfect. I heard once, "You will never FIND time, you must MAKE it," and that is so true. "For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned." -Unknown

On a blog that I follow called The Clutter Diet Blog, I saw a posting dated December 22nd that I really liked called, "Ten Simple Ways to Be More Organized in 2010." This gives simple and practical ways to get organized. I subscribe to The Clutter Diet and I really do like it. Lorie Marrero really breaks down these daunting tasks into manageable "meal plans" each week. There is also a discussion board where you can post your questions about problem areas and professional organizers will respond to you and help you out. You can read all of the postings and get ideas from other people's questions and answers as well. I recommend this program to anyone wanting some guidance on decluttering. For about $15 a month, I think it is a bargain.

I'm trying to go green whenever possible around the house. On Real Simple I found an article called, "How Green Are You?" There are a lot of small changes that can really add up to big changes for our environment. I hope to become a mostly green home soon.

I think that I am also going to start blogging about ways to save money around the house. For $25 a year, yes a year, I signed up on a website called Practical Saver. A woman named Kara from our church started this website. On it, she posts grocery store ads and points out bargains. There are homemade gift ideas, bargain products, a discussion board, and links to other sites on the website. She shows a video on how to cut, organize, and use coupons on each shopping trip. I know other women who have used these techniques and actually save more money than they spend! I want to be like that. I'm not very good at this saving money thing yet, but I will be and I'll share my tale with you. While picking a new background for this blog, I noticed that The Cutest Blog On The Block had a "free coupon" section. I clicked on it and it took me to a page with quite a few links to free coupons and samples.

I am revisiting some of my favorite organizing blogs and websites and becoming more excited and motivated to reach my March 16th goal. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Too much…

So I have not organized much lately. For some reason it seems I can’t even keep my house clean. Jake and I clean, and it’s messy the next day. I need to figure out a way to manage our stuff. It’s a vicious cycle I tell you.

I still have high hopes for my upcoming projects. I have great ideas for them, but I just have to get my butt in gear and do them.

24 Hours in a Day. Really?

Do you ever feel like you have more things to do than there are hours in the day?  I do. If you really think about it, there are 24 hours in a day. 8 are spent at work, 8 (if you’re lucky) are spent sleeping, and that leaves 8 for all of your extra stuff. That seems like so much time but it never actually ends up a full 8 hours. How much time do you spend getting ready for work? How long does it take to drive to and from work? All of that eats up at my free time. Bummer huh?

How can I maximize my efficiency during my “8” hours of free time? Of course one answer is to be more organized so that my activities are more streamlined. Another is to break up your chores throughout the week so you don’t have to spend your whole 8 hours cleaning, doing laundry, and grocery shopping on your weekend.

What are your ideas?

Project #3- Master Closet (Part 1)

Well, I am working on our closet. It is a really big closet so it is really full. My plan of attack is to fold all of my sweaters and put them in some baskets on one shelf. I need to organize my shoes (and get rid of some) in some way that makes them all fit. I want to group all like types of clothes together. I have a small dresser in there and I need to reposition it so it doesn't take up so much floor space. We have some extra stuff on the very top shelf. This stuff can all come down and go somewhere else. I can put things we rarely use up there.

I'm hoping Jake will work on his half of the closet. Maybe he will We'll see.

I'll keep you posted.

My Ultimate Goal

I was doing some thinking today about this blog and what my goals are. I know I listed my projects and when I wanted to be finished with them. But what happens when they are all done? Am I just going to be done? Is organizing ever really done? Probably not. I think it's like cleaning the house... never finished. It will become easier with time, but for the most part, I will always be able to organize something more or better. Right?

I would like to continue with this blog as long as I can still type. I want to become the kind of woman whom everyone knows is organized in every part of my life. I want to be a blog that many people read on a daily basis (ok in reality maybe weekly). I'd like to come up with my own organizing and decluttering ideas. This will be a very big challenge for me.

My first challenge to you is to make a comment every time you read a posting. I have two great friends who always make comments and I can't tell you how much I look forward to that. It keeps me going. I check my blog, almost on an hourly basis, after updating to see if you have read it yet. Thank you.

The second challenge is to click on the button on the top of the right margin and follow my blog. My goal is to get at least 10 comments for each posting and to have at least 20 followers. I don't have a date to end this goal. I think it's one that will need to be modified (hopefully the number will need to be raised) and will go on forever.

Let me know what you think.

My New Diet

I found a great organizing plan online today. It is called the "Clutter Diet." It is a program that sends you "meal plans" for the week. They include a main dish- such as organizing your closet and 2 side dishes- which are 10-15 minute jobs. A sensible snack takes about 5 minutes and then of course there is dessert which is your reward for the week. You can post questions on a message board and get advice from professional organizers. It is $4.95 for the first month then $14.95 each month after that. There are discounts for paying for a year up front.

I think this will be a great investment.

Impromptu Project

Well, one chapter in Organize Now is how to organize your email. Even though it isn't one of my projects, I did it today. I have to admit, I feel great. It was very liberating to get my inbox down to 3.

I use Gmail for most of my emails. It allows me to label each message I get and put it in a corresponding folder. It then allows me to color code each folder which in turn, color codes the label. So, when you glace at your inbox, your messages will be color coded with each group it belongs to.

I made sure I labeled all of the stray messages that have been staring me in the face for who knows how long. I then made new folders and put them in the correct one. I was able to clear all 400 messages from my inbox in a short amount of time.

Organize Now suggests that when you want to reply to an email, but you don't have the time, hit the reply button then immediately save it as a draft. After that, erase the original message from you inbox. This keeps the message in a "To Do" folder of sorts, you can come back to reply when you have time, and you inbox stays clean.

I always like when I have a clean inbox. It makes me feel like something is clean and organized. It's not overwhelming with all of the messages demanding attention.

Let's keep it this way.

Not Much Done...

My next project is the office closet. It is a large walk in closet. I have so many ideas for it. I plan on having an area for my craft and scrap booking stuff, an area for all of our gift wrapping paper and ribbon, and an area to hold all of my past issues of magazines (because you never know when I'll want to read that one story again). However, this weekend has kind of been shot because of this whole "we may get a barn, we may not" thing. Just got word today, he wants $8,000 more to deliver it plus extra to put it back up and he wants the money now. No thanks. Sometimes a good deal, just isn't.

Anyway, needless to say, this weekend has kind of been a waste when it comes to decluttering project #3. I'll try to do some tonight and maybe some tomorrow morning. We'll see.

Project # 2- The White Desk (Part 2)

Well, project # 2 is done, however, the desk is no longer white. It is a light, sage green.

We had old mail, work papers, and just everyday stuff piled on it. I took all of that off. I laid all of it on the floor and tried to do it that way. As you can see, the boys were trying to help me. How can I tell that face he was in my way? I made piles out of all of it: "Toss," "File," and "To Do."

I also took off all of the hardware and spray painted it. Spray paint is my new best friend. It is so easy to get a great look. I used a hammered bronze color and I love it. I used an empty box of manicotti shells and stuck all of my screws into it to hold them upright as I sprayed them. I sprayed the key hooks also. Next, I took my leftover green paint (from the 2nd time we painted the kitchen) and used that to paint the entire desk. It did take 2 coats so it required some time to dry. The color is "Restful" by Behr. It is a Kitchen and Bath finish so it is a little shinier than a satin but less than a semi-gloss. I thought this would make it easy to clean when the time comes.

I bought a few wire desk accessories and probably spent about $30 on those, but aren't they so cute?!?

This project has always been one of our biggest problem areas so I'm so relieved that this is decluttered.

I'm 2 projects down, 10 projects and 16 weeks to go. Right on track.

"Organize Now"

I was at Joann's fabric store this morning and found a book called Organize Now: A week-by-week guide to simplify your space and your life by Jennifer Ford Berry. Of course, I had to buy it.

I went out to my car and flipped to the table of contents. It sounds great! It has 52 weeks of organizing different things in your life from specific rooms, to your purse, to your bills, to your pets. I'm going to pick my way through the book and not go in order since some of them don't apply to me (i.e. my pregnancy or nursery). It seems as though each topic is only 4 pages long. That makes it seem very easy and quick.

Jennifer Ford Berry has a website you can check out and a blog.

I will be using this book to help me organize my house and find Simplicity.

If you decide to challenge yourself to declutter as well, I already highly recommend this book. Enjoy.