style="text-align: left;">Week 3 of the Organise & Clean Your Home challenge saw us tackling some major appliances and major clutter spots, for me. I had a busy week with the kids and one was home on one day so I didn’t get as much done as I would’ve liked but I’ve started tackling some major jobs which have been on hold for months, if not years. Here’s how I went.
Week 3 – Organise & Clean Your Home
style="text-align: left;">Week 3 of the Organise & Clean Your Home challenge saw us tackling some major appliances and major clutter spots, for me. I had a busy week with the kids and one was home on one day so I didn’t get as much done as I would’ve liked but I’ve started tackling some major jobs which have been on hold for months, if not years. Here’s how I went.
Day 11 – Linen cupboard
When your life has turned into complete turmoil and you just try to keep up with the basics like looking after the children, washing and keeping them clean, the laundry soon piles up as it did in my bedroom and in order for me to get into my bed late at night, the linen was often just squeezed in wherever I could find a spot. I used to really value my linen and the order I kept it in. I loved seeing my towels all fluffed up and folded the same way and everything within arm’s reach. I’ll hopefully have got it back now but I’m in the process of changing the winter bed linen over to the summer bed linen which means washing and putting it into Spacesaver bags. I’ve been doing that all over the weekend so can mark this job off as finished over the holidays.
I also have a couple of lavender bags in the linen cupboard, just to keep it smelling fresh. I use a mixture of equal quantities of dried lavender and dried thyme with half a dozen cloves. If you don’t sew, you can pick up small organza bags from the dollar store.
Day 12 – Bathroom Cupboards
This part of the bathroom wasn’t too bad. I have a basket for ointments, a basket for bandages and a basket for body/bath/shower lotions. Every time the kids bump themselves, they go for a bandaid so that basket can get a little out of hand. I also grabbed the ointments from the wall bathroom cabinet and put them down here too. That’s kept them all together now. My medicines and tablets are all kept in the cupboard over the fridge, out of harm’s way. The blue Charlie Brown bag is for sanitary products.
Day 13 – Kid’s artwork
I can actually say the kid’s school artwork is starting to slow down now that my daughter is in Grade 2. My son, on the other hand, never really got into it. Where my daughter has probably filled 3 boxes in the last 2 years, he’s barely filled 1. The biggest problem I had was that I’d take the artwork out of their school bags to put in the designated box in their rooms but it tooks ages to get there. I’ve now brought that box into the living room, near the command station where their school bags are. The only thing I really decluttered from their artwork was the hundreds of bubble/string/butterfly pictures and just kept the really good ones. I’ll ultimately take a photo of most of it, get a photo book printed and frame about half a dozen of the really, really good ones. My daughter is quite talented and has produced a few good pieces.
During the clean up, I also stumbled across one of the soft toys I’d sewed for her from one of her dinosaur pictures from scraps of fabric. From about the age of 3, my daughter was obsessed with dinosaurs. She is still very interested in them and for about 4 years spoke of nothing else but being a paleontologist (I had to google the spelling) when she grew up. This isn’t the picture I designed it off. I couldn’t put my hands on that for now, but it was similar to this. I made about 3 different dinosaurs which 2 obviously have disappeared. This was one of her favourites, “the looooooong neck” she used to say.
Day 14: The Office
I don’t have a home office. I use this old computer desk right near the front door as a dumping ground and a place to house the laptop. It’s actually been a dream of mine to have an old fashioned writing bureau. This challenge got me started on sanding back the bureau I’d recently purchased. I hope to have it finished over the next couple of days so will share my new home office space and command station with you then.
Day 15: Kid’s Clothes & Patio/Outdoor Area
This is another area that needs a bit of work, both the back undercover pergola area and the entry way into the front door. I’m in the process of making new cushions covers for some outdoor furniture that was given to me as well as making over a small table for the area out the front. Now that it is school holiday time, I can get the kids involved in the weeding and painting. I’ll share the results with you shortly. While I was working on changing the winter bed linen over, I did the kid’s clothes as well and got working on trying to move all of my daughter’s clothes and personal items from her old room into my son’s room, now that they’re sharing. The wardrobe in her old room is nearly empty and then I can start making that into my sewing/crafting room. I made sure I gave each shelf a good wipe down before putting the clothes in. It can get a bit dusty in there.
I don’t make things too complicated with their clothes. I fold them but they have to pack them away. Pyjamas, school clothes and play clothes are folded and kept on shelves and my daughter’s dresses are hung on hangers. Their underclothes are in separate sets of drawers for each child with undies in one drawer, socks in another and singlets in the last. They aren’t the neatest in putting away or taking their clothes out at ages 8 and 6 but keeping it like this makes it easy for them.
Over the next 2 weeks while the kids are on vacation, we’ll be pottering around home, having a few play dates, maybe a trip to the cinema and a few swims at the beach and pool. I’ll be trying to keep on top of things with the last week of the challenge upon us this week but what doesn’t get done will wait until the kids go back to school. I can say that I’ve made so much progress but have about 4 baskets of bits and pieces that were decluttered from the rooms over the last couple of weeks that just need sorting. Most of it is rubbish or will be sold on ebay. After about 12 months, I’ve finally started listing things on ebay again. I used to be onto it as soon as the kids outgrew their clothes or I just no longer needed something. I’m hoping to make enough from the sale of all this clutter to put towards our Christmas vacation.
How are you going? Are you keeping up with the challenge?
You have been working very very hard indeed. It all looks so organised.
Love your little writing desk. She's very sweet.
Carolyn
What wonderful progress! I am six days behind you. 'Still getting things back together! Thanks again for the initial inspiration! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Looking great Anne. Can't wait to see how your bureau desk turns out. I have one in the dining room with a display cabinet on top that used to be my desk before we rearranged the study – my laptop didn't fit into the existing shelves so it wasn't really practical but I love being able to close up the lid to hide the mess.
I haven't gone as well with the challenge the past two weeks as I hoped and am playing serious catch up. I tackled the study today.
The school holidays will add a degree of difficulty to some areas so I don't mind postponing them til Olive goes back to kinder.
I've learned a lot and am more conscious of keeping on top of it all.
Here's to being fellow domestic goddesses!
Di x
This post is totally getting me motivated! We actually have a little office room and it's a total mess right now with unpacked boxes. And I love the lavender sachet! So easy!
wow – you have been busy! Great work on the linen cupboard!
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