Source List: Storage Containers

A lot of you have asked me where I get all my organization bins, boxes, etc. It's a mix of Target, Walmart, Aldi, IKEA, and Dollar Tree. But because we don't all have these stores in our area, I thought I'd get a source list going of the closest matches I can find online.

Toy Organization

• 20-pack clear storage bins. At just about a dollar a piece, these are great for separating out different toys -- like figures, puzzles, play-doh, etc. We keep extra toys in these all sorted by type and pull them out as needed.
• IKEA Sortera Bins are AMAZING. They may be my all-time favorite. We use them for block storage and for doll clothing and accessories. Very sturdy and stackable.
• Woven Storage Baskets -- helpful for organizing markers, crayons, and other things you want to keep in an open-top container.
• Tall Woven Storage Baskets -- same idea, just a taller option. 
• Chalkboard Labels -- these are reusable and dishwasher safe. You can use them anywhere. I recommend getting a chalk pen/marker versus using chalk.

Clothing Organization

• We use 9-cube organizers instead of dressers for the girls
• Stephen uses a larger 13" 8-cube organizer for his clothing
• It's cheaper to get 10" storage cubes and 13" storage cubes in a big pack online than in the store.
• Ziploc Storage Totes are perfect for storing all my hand-me-down clothing for the girls.

Refrigerator Organization

• Slim Storage Trays -- long a skinny, perfect for cheese sticks, yogurt tubes, and other small snacks.
• Rectangular Storage Trays -- helpful for hummus, guacamole, cheeses, and other medium-sized containers.
• I also find it helpful to buy a bundle of different sized trays that can serve many purposes and be mixed/matched in different spaces. 
• Fridge Storage Bundle -- this includes an egg holder, can holder, and four other trays that fit cup yogurts, fruits and veggies, and other things. I like that these are clear.
• Flexible Storage Baskets -- I use these in my freezer mostly. Great way to organize bags of frozen veggies.

Pantry Organization

• Slim Storage Trays -- long a skinny, perfect for pouches, granola bars, and other snacks.
• Rectangular Storage Trays -- helpful for wider bars, cookies, and snacks.
• I also find it helpful to buy a bundle of different sized trays that can serve many purposes and be mixed/matched in different spaces.
• Woven Storage Trays -- Similar to above, but prettier. I have these in my pantry. 
• Tall Woven Storage Baskets -- same idea, just a taller option. 
• Flip-Lid Containers -- for cereal, chips, pretzels, and decanting other pourable snacks.
• Wide Mouth Ball Jars -- quart (4-cup) size for all bulk items.
• Pre-Printed Labels to keep everything in order. 

The Rest . . . 

• Husky Heavy Duty Storage Shelving. This thing is huge and perfect for all our storage in the garage. We have 16 bins on it. I hear they also sell it at Costco.
• I use these Large Flex Tubs all over the house -- currently in the linen closet to hold all our sheets and towels. We also have one in the garage for dirty bathing suits/towels in our pool area.
• Similarly, these Bendy Bins flex and work well for multi-purposes. I use them for bath toys, Eden's bottles, and storage in Ada's room.
• Dollar Tree Rectangular Bins -- you have to order a multi-color case online or go to the store and hope you can find WHITE or GREY. The BEST.
• Dollar Tree Square Bins -- same idea. Use them anywhere.
• And if I had more money, I'd love to have all wire storage baskets. They are so classic and clean looking.

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Why Minimalism Doesn't Work For Me

Alright, so I definitely do label myself as an "aspiring minimalist" -- but really, that's not really what I mean. I definitely like the basic idea of only owning what you need . . . and living with less . . . and valuing quality over quantity . . . and examining priorities with regard to purchases and stuff in general. I like the aesthetic of a space that is calm and empty aside from the essentials.

And I freaking LOVE the feeling I get after a good purge.

Ohhhhh, yeah. Clear it all out. All of it!

Where my feelings on the subject deviate, I suppose, is when it comes to what I consider the new challenge culture that we live in. The rampant trend of minimalism. The consumerism aspect of it, too (crazy, but it's a thing!).

I'm the first to admit that I'm not high and mighty on this subject. I've tried many, many, many challenges and trials in the last many years. But it's the whole capsule wardrobe -- only owning 10, 25, XX items of clothing. Or getting rid of everything to the point of it being almost too much. Or feeling pressure to buy "the RIGHT" things to make myself feel like a law-abiding minimalist (which is wrong on so many levels, right?).

I think there's this tendency when we as humans get interested in any particular thing to go ALL IN. (Or maybe it's just people who have personality types like mine.) If I don't, I feel like I'm doing a half-assed job of it. Or like I'm setting myself up for failure. Or like I shouldn't even bother. For example, if my kids clothes don't all coordinate or mix-and-match, I'm doing it wrong. If I have too many coffee cups, I've failed. If I hold onto much sentimental (yearbooks, I'm looking at you!), it's ridiculous. Etc.

What am I saying?

OK. I think it's hard not to get caught up in the Keeping Up With The Joneses version of minimalism that's circulating the internet. The closet challenges. The photos of neatly coordinated wooden toys. The clean white sheets and crisp slipcovers. THE IDEA THAT MINIMALISM WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE PERFECT AND EASY. Sorry to yell, but I have found living this way to actually be quite hard work. Maybe I'm doing it wrong. But I'm sure a few of you in the back seats know what I'm talking about.

The thing is, it actually should be easy. That is, if you're doing it right for you.

This last time I purged my house and organized my belongings, I tried very hard to separate out my own needs from the ones that I've drooled over on Instagram feed. The ones that I've read "SHOULD" be how I do things. I've decided that "minimalism" can have a different definition depending on your own family's needs. Maybe that's not technically true, but I'm declaring that you can pick and choose what you want from the concept.

And maybe we don't have to label ourselves at all!

(Wouldn't that be wild?)

Here's what I like:

• Thinking before I buy new things. Taking a bit of time to ponder if I envision that new thing in a donation box in the near future. Or if we might already have something that functions just fine -- it helps me resist filling my cart at Target.
• Being grateful for what we have. This means taking care of our existing stuff -- however mismatched or basic it is -- because we already spent money and energy on it.
• Keeping what we are truly using. Versus just going through closets and drawers and tossing anything that doesn't fit my vision for my life, it's important to evaluate what we truly use. Even if it means keeping something like a gigantic tub of obnoxious plastic blocks because my kids LOVE them and haven't touched the blonde wood ones that were hand-carved and personally blessed by a mythical goddess (no disrespect -- but my kids like the plastic ones).
• Regularly revisiting and purging. It's important to go through every so often to see if there's something that is no longer meeting our needs, that's damaged/broken, or that we can otherwise clear out.

So, I guess it isn't that minimalism doesn't work for me. I am -- instead -- working (very hard) to make a version of minimalism make sense for my own family.

Why bother? Because I truly see the merit in the general concepts. And we have way too much crap. I'm getting there with my own process on my own terms. In my next post on this subject, I'll share what I did differently this time around when it came to purging my house, as well as how I plan to actually make it work in the long run.

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How to Clean Your Kitchen

I wrote recently on Instagram about the radical idea that cleaning my kitchen is a form of self-care. To me, this was kind of embarrassing and even seemed a bit silly. Cleaning. Self care? Seriously? I'm not a neat or tidy person by nature, so getting fire under my behind with organizing my house has been difficult. What I've found is a sense of serenity when thing are in order. And it's this feeling that seems to be filling me up with good vibes, even when everything else in my life seems a bit out of control.

So, I figured I'd share the quick things I'm doing each day to keep this particular space shiny and fresh. Now that I've got a system going, cleaning the kitchen when it's super messy/dirty only takes 10 minutes or so. And that includes getting dishes going AND steaming the floors.

What? I steam the floors? YES, and it's the best feeling ever.

Start with the 5-minute rule

I didn't invent the concept that you should do tasks that take just 5 minutes instead of letting them pile up. But now I'm the biggest cheerleader to this way of living life. Previously, I'd wait on the dishes and counters. They'd get beyond my ability to see the light. And I would feel like cleaning was a hopeless endeavor.

Things that only take 5 minutes or less:

• Putting dirty dishes into the dishwasher and pushing START
• Putting everything on the counters in the "right" home
• Wiping down the counters and appliances
• Vacuuming and steaming the floors (really! 5 minutes!)
• Tidying open shelving and dusting containers
• Taking out the garbage and putting a new bag in the can

Get the right tool and supplies

I use eCloth microfiber cleaning cloths on all surfaces. The company claims you can clean using only water, but I usually use some kind of spray. The advantage with these types of cloths is that they really seem to wipe up well.

I'm also a sucker for pretty and good-smelling cleaning supplies. I've recently become obsessed with anything Method -- especially the Sea Salt and Lime All-Purpose Spray. Their Stainless Steel Spray has also given me life. It's not that vinegar doesn't work. But to get inspired to clean, I needed something a bit flashy, if you will.

And my favorite floor cleaning supplies include my Bissell PowerFresh Steam Mop and Shark Stick Vacuum. Again, you only need to use the steam to clean floors, but the Method Spearmint/Sage Floor Cleaner is divine.

Decant your groceries

This is an idea I got from Erica Flock (who, in turn, got it from another blogger). My pantry tends to be this black hole of craziness. The simple act of pouring my snacks and other foods into clear containers allows me to see how much is left, what exactly we have, and it keeps garbage from piling up. I can't tell you how many times I'd clean the pantry and have like two gigantic bags of trash/recycling to contend with.

Then all you need are flip-top containers. Try getting a set of clear containers that offers different size options, like this set of EAGMAK Food Storage Containers. Another favorite are the tiny containers that have flip-tops you can find at the Dollar Tree. They're similar to the smallest container in this awesome 10-piece Food Pantry Container set. In fact, I think those are the same exact containers I found at my dollar store. 10 pieces for $15.

I also use open baskets to separate out things like applesauces, granola bars, and instant oatmeal. And my bamboo bread box is my new favorite thing.

Clear out pantries and refrigerator weekly

Overwhelming, right? Stay with me.

Once you do an initial purge and start decanting, this step is very easy. When I do my meal planning for the week (or when I simply take a look at what we have before making a mad dash to the store), get rid of anything that is either past its prime (yogurt, I'm looking at you!) or that you don't think you'll ever use.

Example: We're not a pasta-eating family. My mother-in-law kindly gave us a gigantic bulk box of edamame pasta. It was sitting and taking up tons of space for months -- and we're just not going to use it. Stuff like that can go to a food pantry or even a friend.

When you clear stuff out, there's more space for the stuff you use OR there's just more space for your things to breathe.

Move stuff around

You need to make your cabinets work for you. Efficiency is key if you want to keep your kitchen clean and you want to do it FAST. If you don't have specific homes for everything, it's hard to unload the dishwasher in a timely manner. If you have some food in this cabinet and similar food in another cabinet across the room, it's hard to figure out where to put stuff.

Spend some time really mapping out your ideal zones.

Examples:

• We have a pantry where all the non-perishable food goes. 
• We have a coffee/tea bar on the counter and right above it, I have the coffee/tea stored away along with Eden's formula (the bottle warmer is right there) and bottles. 
• I have glass food storage in one drawer and in the drawer beside it are the lids. Separating them made everything so much easier.
• I have a whole drawer that's down low dedicated to our kid dishes. This allows me to store all the stuff together AND gives my kids some independence.

Think about non-kitchen items

If things are living in your kitchen that don't belong in your kitchen, take them out and distribute to where they belong. It's that simple. Alternatively, if you regularly do non-kitchen things in your kitchen, consider making a special home for those things.

Example: I always do my girls' hair at the kitchen island. So, I now have a little bin of all their hair supplies (hair ties, bows, combs/brushes, detangler) right above the refrigerator. That way, I don't have all that stuff scattered on my countertops.

While you're at it, embrace the junk drawer. It's OK to have a junk drawer. I just polled my Instagram followers and 86 percent of people shared that they have this chaotic space. I recently went to the dollar store and purchased some organizing containers (similar to these) so we can at least categorize the junk. This has been especially helpful for charging cords and batteries. 

Reevaluate your stuff

We had beautiful Fiestaware dishes that we got for our wedding. I did hold onto some pieces, but they were bulky and heavy and annoying to deal with on the daily. So, I replaced them with simple white Corelle Dishes. They are super lightweight, they stack nicely in the dishwasher, and they take up very little space in our cupboard.

We use Ball Jars for food storage and drinking glasses. This is one of the best switches we've made because they can be used interchangeably to suit our needs.

If you aren't using certain appliances much, store them away or get rid of them. I actually don't use my KitchenAid mixer much anymore. I have it stored away in a lower cabinet and pull it out maybe twice a month.

BONUS: When you remove appliances from the countertops, they're easier to clean. (And there's less stuff to wipe down in general.)

Stay on top of it

Once you make some changes, just stay on top of cleaning. That sounds easier said than done, but once you get things organized and start doing 5-minute tasks . . . the momentum starts. And some of those quick tasks become even quicker. Before you know it, you'll be cleaning your entire kitchen in just 10 minutes.

Bigger jobs can come at your convenience. But do them regularly!

For example, I clean the stovetop once a week . . . and it actually only takes 5 minutes but is a bit harder because I have to remove all the grates. I used to just not clean it . . . and then everything would get burned onto the top and take FOREVER.

I try to deep clean the refrigerator monthly. That may not seem like a lot, but I used to only do it maybe twice a year. In fact, that's on my list of things to do this weekend. Monthly makes those stuck-on messes a bit easier to lift.

Anyway, these are some basics that have helped me transform the way I deal with our messy kitchen. I hope you find them helpful. If you have anything to share, please leave it in the comments!

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Why We Sold Most Our Toys

A child's job in the first several years of life is play. Naturally, parents and loved ones want to cultivate this important skill by providing plenty of interesting play-things to kids. Toys are also how we show affection and love, especially if gifts are our number one love language. There are countless beautifully organized playrooms you'll come across online that look like enchanted wonderlands. They're filled to the brim with organized bins of toys for every age and stage and season.

Thing is, in the almost seven years I've been a parent, I've grown to resent toys. I feel like a prisoner to them. First, I'll admit we're lucky to have the means to provide a good number of toys (and find them cleverly through second-hand shopping, etc.). And our kids have been the recipients of some very nice things over the years. But -- in the process -- we've amassed this huge collection. We've tried weeding. We've tried rotating. We're tried creating a sort of enchanted wonderland to encourage the critical skill of play.

What's been the result?

The kids ignore the toys most of the time. 

Except when they decide to throw them around.

We're left cleaning them out of every corner of the house. 

And the kids don't help.

Two of my simplification goals are to spend less time cleaning and to have my kids be more self-sufficient. So, this isn't going to work! I didn't plan it this way, but this post is going to be a three-parter.

In short: We decided to get rid of most of our toys last week. 

And my definition of "most" or "pared down" may be different from yours. In my eyes, what we did was quite radical, and it took me several years to work up the courage to make this step. After wading through a living room of toys, cleaning them up, and realizing that much of the stuff I'd been organizing had been played with very few times, I went to the local moms buy/sell/trade group and just started listing like a crazy person. Many of the items were snatched up within 10 minutes.

Other things, we took to the Salvation Army. And we're still finalizing the process today, as my basement looks like this:

What we're keeping:

• Play kitchen
• Play food
• Grocery cart
• Wooden register
• Mega Blocks
• Waffle Blocks
• Magnetic blocks
• Legos
• 3 baby dolls and a few accessories, like diapers and a couple outfits
• Ada's American Girl dolls + accessories
• A streamlined play cart that I'll get to later in the week
• Play doll house
• Musical instrument bin
• Sensory bean bin
• A set number of loved stuffed animals
• Fabric doll house for Ada
• Fabric Sesame Street doll house for Eloise
• A couple Sesame Street figures, puzzles, etc.

And I think that's mostly it. No, it isn't zero toys. It's not even just five toys or whatever minimalist goals I've run across other places online. But it's SO MUCH LESS than what we had. We had two 9-cube organizers that were bursting at the seams. They're both gone now and being used in other parts of the house as dressers. We had several large storage bins full of random toys. They're empty. We had a closet in the basement with leftover toys that didn't get much play -- it's empty.

What we got rid of was a lot and included several Little People play sets I had picked up second hand over the years. Many dolls that weren't getting any love. Tons of toys that were either broken or missing pieces. Lots of Barbies, Disney princess, and other character type toys that don't totally meet our interests. Gosh, there's a lot more and this process is continuing today, so I hope to share a fuller list on my next post (and edit down the keep list above), as well as how I sold or got rid of them. I've made nearly $200 in the last week, which is great.

How many toys do we hope to end up with? That's hard to say. I am thinking even fewer than we're keeping now. I feel that what we've done is just the first step, but already the girls are responding well. So, yeah. This is a huge topic. I'll devote the week to it, but if I get too in-depth today . . . I'll get bogged down and never publish!

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Airing My Dirty Laundry

My friend Taylor said something that really resonated with me last week. It was something to the effect of "organization doesn't need to be pretty" -- and she's absolutely right. I think I've been caught up in the past when I'd be trying to clean. Maybe all the stuff was put away, but the room I was left with wasn't exactly Pinterest-worthy. Despite the accomplishment of organizing, I was left with a sense of failure. And feeling negative about the experience didn't exactly help with motivation to keep it clean.

So, today I'm airing my dirty laundry, so to speak. Because there's actually no dirty laundry on my floors upstairs. After my marathon cleaning sessions this weekend, my ENTIRE upstairs is organized and tidy. Better yet, MOST closets and drawers are organized as well. The exception is that 4th bedroom closet. We don't have much basement storage, we have no attic storage, and the garage is tight this time of year. This is our only space to keep extras. I'm hoping that will change sometime soon.

So, my rooms aren't all painted or decorated, but I'm proud of this progress.

Eloise even has her own tiny capsule wardrobe!


I think this is the first time in years I would have photographed every room in the upstairs at the same time. They have never all been clean at once. Now, I want to organize that 4th bedroom closet better than it is now and relocate the last of the boxes in that room. But this is HUGE progress. And, no. I don't think these rooms look great. Maybe Ada's. Poor Eloise deserves a painted room already. She's 19 months old!

One thing at a time. More soon!

Related:

Minimalist Kid's Room Tour
Eliminating the Maybe
7 Clutter Categories
Cleaning Week Snapshots
Wannabe Minimalists

Read more...

Decluttering My Life // 2018 Cleanout

After writing up my What's in My Makeup Bag post, I realized my microblogs have gotten a bit lengthy. I want to stick with writing, so this week I need to change things up a bit. Today I'm going to write up a short and sweet list of accomplishments I made toward my organization/cleaning/minimalism goals. There's more to just cleaning -- it's changing the whole cycle of buying and identifying needs vs. wants. But that's a post for another day.

To recap: Here's my action plan for getting rid of our clutter.

TOYS

• Cleared out most toys from our first floor living room
• Purged half the toys from the basement playroom 
• Leaned out more toys from the bedrooms
• In total: Have donated or packed away a total of 2.5 large bins of toys

CLOTHING

• Collected two garbage bags of clothing to donate
• Identified some items to sell on my Poshmark store
• Separated out spring from winter clothing to have less stuff out
• Packed away one large bin of clothing as a result -- less laundry!
• Made a capsule wardrobe for myself of 25 items for winter
• I didn't yet have Stephen go through his clothing -- doesn't have as much as I thought

KITCHEN

• Went through all drawers and cupboards
• Got rid of one large box of items, including glass jars with no lids, broken stirring spoons, etc.
• Relocated a bunch of stuff that had no business being in the kitchen (toys, personal care items, etc.)
• Still have more to do . . . 

HOARDERS ROOM (a.k.a. 4th bedroom)

• I could barely open the door to this room. No joke!
• Found THREE bags of paper and other trash (broken things, not pizza boxes) in this room
• Found a bin of maybe items that we'll hold onto for a month or so before donating
• Have almost cleared the whole room out, except the closet -- which is amazing!

BATHROOM CLOSET

• Go rid of near-empty bottles of product by combining with newer bottles
• Organized our bulk items (soaps, shampoos, etc.) into bins for easy grabbing
• Got rid of a bag of trash in this area
• Found tons of used water glasses and dishes in the closet for some reason

All and all, these activities didn't take a single hour as I had hoped they would. It was more like on-and-off for two days. I'd say maybe five to six hours total. Yikes. But it was necessary. AND I'M STILL NOT DONE! I am hoping to give you some visuals in the coming days. I'll probably devote this entire week of blogging to organizing and minimalist stuff. 

Stay tuned . . . and check out more of this month's micro-posts.

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Overcome by Clutter: Action Plan

I've written about our efforts to become more minimalist in the past, so I also feel I should share when it's just not working out. Like now. OK. So, we were doing well several years ago, but I noticed the creeping of stuff started after Eloise was born. I think it was a mix of getting an influx of baby items and putting my guard down. It's an excuse, yes, but it's harder to stay on top of things with a baby/toddler around AND sometimes there's stress. And as much as I'd like to say it isn't true, I do still have stress-shopping tendencies.

We're all works in progress, right?

Anyway, as I sit in our basement playroom, I'm a bit disgusted. We have all these beautiful new and old toys strewn about. Many of them aren't getting good use. Instead of appreciating them, I'm incredibly annoyed at the moment. They're a giant source of stress for the adults and kids alike. Stress for me and Stephen because of constant pickup. Stress for the kids because there is so much, they're overwhelmed, hopping from thing to thing.

I woke up wanting to throw everything in the garbage. So, before I do something crazy, I decided to write this post. Thing is, I don't even know where to begin. The main level of our home is relatively tidy most of the time. Not ever when I hop onto Instagram for some reason, so that's a fairly true representation of what annoys me. It's nothing a half hour of picking up can't fix, though. The second level where we sleep? Yikes. It was clean before Christmas. Laundry abounds from all corners now, along with some Christmas items that never found proper places to live. And, of course, the basement is an absolute wreck.

Minimalism is about a lot more than just a clean house, and I think that's one area where we've strayed. Now, I also want to explain that I've always been more of a wannabe minimalist. We, as a family, are getting there. We're slowly arriving at a point where we're accepting the core principles of living with less excess and embracing those things with purpose. Anyone who's done it will tell you it takes time, and there will be back-sliding.

All of this is to say that today I have written up a short to-do list that I'm hoping will help get us back on the right track. And, at least at first, this mostly means clearing some stuff out so I can think. So we can ALL think.

• Donate/get rid of one bag of my own clothing. Re-create a capsule wardrobe for winter. 
• Have Stephen donate/get rid of a bag of his own clothing.
• Weed through Ada's and Eloise's clothing to store away anything that no longer fits them/is damaged/etc. or donate.
• Go through basement toys and pack away/donate at least one box of items that are no longer used or are damaged/missing pieces/etc.
• Reevaluate all toys and books in the living room. This is our most annoying area of clutter where Eloise's just grabs and throws things all over. We may temporarily eliminate toys in this space because it's getting to be too much at the present moment.
• Go through all mail and recycle/trash what isn't needed.
• Weed through kitchen drawers and donate/get rid of random cutlery, cups, appliances, etc. we're either not using or that's broken/missing pieces/etc.
• Identify a better storage area. We don't have many bins of storage, but keeping them in the garage isn't working out.
• Gather up a box of "maybe" miscellaneous things and put them away for a month or so to see if we actually need/want them to stay in our lives.

I'm hoping these activities will only take an hour or so, and I'm also hoping I can update you on my progress next week.

More Minimalism:

Eliminating the Maybe
7 Clutter Categories
Cleaning Week Snapshots
Wannabe Minimalists
Five Things I No Longer Buy

Read more...

Why Organizing Doesn't Work (For Us)

Here's a long-overdue spring purge post about why simple organizing just doesn't work to spiff up our spaces. I mean, we're still learning as we go along. I can't believe how many times we've set out to have "this clean" be the "final clean" -- but something was actually different about this time around. Versus organizing the crap we had around the house, we actually got rid of most everything we deemed nonessential.

Getting rid of a large portion of your belongings can be overwhelming. There's this tendency, at least for me, to feel like I'm foolish getting rid of something I might need in the future. I would stow things away for someday, thinking of all the many scenarios where I'd need five different winter coats or all those old issues of Runner's World or six thousand serving spoons. I'd feel guilty getting rid of anything we were given as gifts even if they were broken or just didn't fit out lifestyle.

Here are the three main reasons organizing doesn't work (for us). File this post under opinions. Food for thought. It's not how YOU should approach life or your home. It's just how we've started seeing things, and it's been quite life-changing.

You still have all that stuff. 

Even if you go through, categorize, and put everything away in clearly marked boxes -- you still have things literally hanging over your head in the attic. Or it's in countless bins in the garage or basement. We had over 20 bins of things . . . and when we really took the time to go through the items one by one, we realized that likely most of those things would never make it back into the house.

It took several moves and tries, but finally letting go enabled us to see how foolish we were for schlepping that stuff around. How much energy we spent moving those bins from our old house to the new house. Or moving them from the attic to the basement, etc. How much mental energy we spent on, well, things that we didn't really need anyway.

In my humble opinion, even if your stuff is out and away, it's still stuff. Heck -- we considered getting a storage unit at one time. Why bother?! This is stuff that you might not need for years . . . or, truly, EVER AGAIN.

So, why bother giving it any more of your energy, time, or money?

You're wasting money.

At least we did. I can't even begin to tell you the dollars we have spent on cube organizers, shelving, and other tools to wrangle our crap into better order. It's shameful, really. In the end, it always gets messed up again. We still accumulate too much. It was, for us, a losing battle. The more stuff we got, the more things we needed to store it in. The more places we needed for storage, the smaller we felt our house was, etc.

I feel like so many people think they need these gigantic houses because they need places to hold all their stuff. When I watch HGTV, closet space is like one of the top concerns. The host always jokes that the woman needs that gigantic walk-in closet. Our old house was 1,200 square feet. To be honest, we mostly lived in 1,000 square feet of it because one room was usually storage. Now? We have around 1,900 (1,600 above ground). I love our new house and neighborhood, but I can confidently tell you that living with two kids back at the old place would be totally fine.

Plus, you don't need big closets if your wardrobe is pared down to 50 or fewer items. You can get dressed much more quickly, too. Our old house was really lacking for closets. Somehow when we moved, we filled all these large closets that we didn't used to need. Weird, right?

I also discovered that we were wasting our money because with so much stuff, we always felt like we needed more -- well -- stuff. We were in this really bad cycle of consumption. Perhaps out of all this cleaning up, the biggest lesson we learned is that we needed to stop shopping for mindless entertainment. We needed to examine our priorities. And we needed to stop bringing so much crap home with us. It was draining our wallets and moving us farther from our core values.

You're wasting time.

When Stephen and I sat down together and examined our goals in life, the one that stuck out the most was that we wanted to have more time with one another. You know, time that isn't spent cleaning up toys or wading through excess. Or feeling stressed about money, etc. We just want to be with our little family and live a simple life, whatever that means at this stage.

You'd think organization would make cleanup easier, right? We have two 9-cube toy organizers in our basement, for example. And this is one of the few remaining problem areas of the house. You'd think organizing toys into separate boxes would make spaces clean. Nope. Instead, we filled the boxes. All of the boxes. Family bought gifts that filled all the boxes. All the boxes were overflowing. And with a 4-year-old, unless we spend time each day or week going through them, everything is out of place. A toy-plosion, if you will.

Not only we were wasting time trying to put toys away. Ada, too, was wasting time being overwhelmed by options. When I was younger, I would spend hours just . . . coloring. Or playing with one doll. Somehow, along the way -- toy options have gotten out of control. Kids seem to need everything and . . . they get it from well-meaning parents, relatives, and friends. But it's part of what's fueling the whole over-stimulation thing and, again, that over-consumption.

There's just too much!

More thoughts:

I'm sure you can see how this applies to most every area in your home. If you step into a Bed, Bed, and Beyond -- there are entire walls dedicated to useless kitchen gadgets. When you buy electronics, their lives seem to be ever-shortened, creating a whole junk drawer full of outdated cameras, phones, etc. Life didn't used to be this way.

So, I guess you could say we're rebelling. It's hard. The temptation is strong to go into a Target and walk out with a cart FULL of amazing things. Now that we're gotten rid of a good deal of the bins, the maintenance is our main effort. All it takes is saying NO. Walking away. Waiting to make purchases. Unlinking PayPal from online shopping accounts, etc.

In my next post, I'll do an updated house tour and highlight some problem areas we were able to kick into gear by purging. And as I wrote that last part, I think the how NOT to buy is another good area to write something about. I'm still learning the best methods. 

Is there anything more you'd like to hear about our big spring cleanup? Let me know in the comments!

* Image source

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How We Purged // Spring Clean

There's really no secret tip or trick for the best way to actually go through your stuff. For us, it made the most sense to touch everything -- or at least get our eyes on each item. Tedious? Indeed. But this way we could ensure that we weren't parting with anything that was actually important or critical (which is particularly key when going through old paperwork!).

Our Method

Here's what we did. It may or may not make sense in your situation:

• First cleared out the main house from anything -- like extra furniture -- we didn't want. This uncovered all sorts of stuff that had been hiding in nooks and crannies. We created a few "miscellaneous" bins and put them in the garage for further investigation.
• We also went through closets, drawers, and cabinets for the same reason. More misc. boxes came out to the garage to be staged for the next step.
• Then we went bin by bin in our garage (it was helpful to have an outdoor space so close to our car) and started sorting things by where we intended to take it. (You can read more about that below.)
• As we got enough stuff to take to a certain place, we'd clear some of it out. For example, we took two trips to the Salvation Army in one day to make room for more organization. Then later that day, we decided to take a trip to the trash place with our construction waste, again, to make more room to continue on.
• Anything we were keeping was promptly put into it's right place in the house. In the case of sentimental stuff, we did put it back in labeled bins that went down to the basement. 
• And then we just kept at it. We took more trips to the drop-offs and kept clearing out. After not too long, the space was clearing and we could breathe again.
• We saved our paperwork for last. We took our time on this one because we didn't want to get rid of any documents that might be important in the long run. 
• Then we decided to go through the house just once more to make sure there wasn't anything left that we could part with. We actually got another van load from our second go-through. I think it's because once we got started, we realized how freeing it is to purge. And it helped put the stuff in perspective . . . so we were ready to just let go.

Where Stuff Went

Salvation Army

The majority of things went to our local donation center. We even called a number the person at the checkout gave us for some furniture pickup that's scheduled for next Tuesday. Always make sure to get a receipt so you can write off your donations next year at tax time.

Once Upon a Child

This is a store in my area (and I think in other areas) that buys gently used and good quality kids stuff from toys to clothing. We sold a bunch of things we know we won't need with baby #2 here. And you know how I found a brand new BOB stroller at Target on clearance a few months ago? We sold our old one (it was in OK condition) for $75! I think that's a great return on that. With everything we sold (which was only a small box), we made out with nearly $200 without having to host a yard sale.

thredUP

I sent some of my nicer clothing to thredUP and am waiting to see how much $$$ I'll get. It's always worth a try to send clothes off (or go to your local consignment shop) to see if you can get anything for them before donating.

Waste

We had a lot of construction waste, like old boards with rusty nails, etc. We took all this stuff to our local center to dispose of it properly. In addition, we took some trashed computers and other recycling there because they know what to do with it. Just make sure you've cleared off any information that could potentially be taken. You never know.

Friends, etc.

We did find some things we thought our friends could use, so we asked and gave as the opportunity arose. I like the idea of having clothing swaps and the like. We have done that even with kitchen things in the past. It takes a village.

What did we do with Ada?

So many people have asked where Ada was during all this cleaning. Well, I estimate that we spent around 4 hours a day actively sorting and taking trips. We used Stephen's spring break versus doing something fun, so it was a big sacrifice. But we did the bulk of it during nap time (Ada slept 2 hours most days). Now that she's four, though, she was able to hang around us and even help. Her favorite part was taking small boxes to the van for donation.

In other words: It wasn't hard. I don't know what it would be like trying to do this with more kids, but we've always been able to do house projects and stuff with Ada right alongside us. Don't let it be an excuse!

OK. It's Friday, so next week I'll start off with a post I'm calling "why simple organizing doesn't work." We're getting close to the end, so if you have any more questions about this process -- let me know!

And don't forget to catch up on this series:

Eliminating the Maybe
7 Clutter Categories
Cleaning Week Snapshots
Wannabe Minimalists

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Eliminating the Maybe // Spring Clean

So, let's back up for just a minute. Did you know that there's a mental cost to clutter? Like, it has the power to make or break your daily life? I suppose I knew this on some intuitive level, but after doing more research + purging of my own -- I can truly tell you, it's true! For example, I'm a very visual person, and seeing lots of stuff around is actually quite over-stimulating and distracting.

And think of it this way: If you have lots of crap in your attic, you literally have weight hanging over your head. Then come the feelings of guilt or even embarrassment when, say, you can't open your garage door without everyone on your block seeing your mess. Oh, yeah, and it's nice to finally know where my birth certificate is because, well, I didn't know for the bulk of the last year -- talk about stressful.

I mulled over all this during our spring cleaning escapades last week. How did we have so much stuff? Why did we have so many bins of things I wasn't quite sure if I could part with? And why -- after having major cleanings before -- did the things keep piling up year after year?

Then it clicked. I wasn't truly letting go.

When I've organized and cleared out in the past, I've approached it by creating piles.

• Trash
• Donate
• Sell
• Keep
• Maybe 

The thing is, that maybe pile kept getting carried over and over again every time I'd go to organize. (And, seriously, this whole minimalism thing is about so much more than just material objects. I'll get to that in my feelings post.) We schlepped a lot of maybe things from our college days to apartments. We schlepped a lot of things from old apartments to our first house. We then schlepped even more maybe things from our first house to our current house.

The maybes kept piling up and up and up.


What was in these boxes? Clutter -- in this order -- from these categories.

• Clothing
• Someday Stuff
• Gifts
• Forgottens
• Sentimentals

. . . Maybe someday those size 2 jeans will fit me again.

. . . Maybe I'll find a use for that fancy vase I've still not taken out of the box.

. . . Maybe I'll want those hundreds of photos of people I can't remember.

. . . Maybe we'll start entertaining outdoors more and need that patio dining set.

. . . Maybe that stained chair can be reupholstered if we save our pennies.

. . . Maybe I'll want two different baby gyms for Baby E.

I think you see where this is all going. It's a clutter purgatory of sorts. So, when we did cleaning this time, we eliminated the maybe category and had to get a lot more decisive about all this stuff we had been carrying around from place to place for the last decade or more. Mostly, the answers became:

NO.
Get rid of it.
I haven't looked at that in years.
I totally forgot about that.
No, I have no desire to exercise and diet to fit into all these old clothes.
We have too many dishes already.
Etc., etc., etc.

For our clothing, we tried a modified KonMari approach -- both of us -- where we simply held the item, decided if it "sparked joy" (not necessarily if it was practical to hold onto or anything like that), and said a hard YES or NO from there. And now my seasons of clothing fit neatly into narrow sliding containers. I have 25 items in my closet currently -- but I won't delve too deeply into this part because I'm pregnant and it's not the best time to talk about a capsule wardrobe.

There was no special trick to letting go. It was more of a mentally ready moment. And this idea can actually carry over into other areas of your life. I mean, how often do we say MAYBE when we really mean yes or no? Whoa. That gets deep!

This post got much longer than I intended. I have had such great feedback with sharing about our journey to wannabe minimalism, I may add a few posts to my original plan. (Like -- tomorrow will now be that post on how we got rid of everything.) I hope that's alright! If you have questions or comments -- leave them down below. I'm happy to answer anything and everything.

Happy Wednesday!

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Chores + Other Scenes

I just finished my run, and it’s only 7AM! I’m absolutely not a morning runner, but I guess we’re expected to have temps in the 90s the next couple days. No, thanks. (Fall, where are you?!) I will say that starting my day early with a run certainly has me more productive. I really am a morning person at heart, so I hope the school season will hopefully shift me more back in that direction.

Yeah. Stephen goes back to work today. We’re so lucky to have him home with us for 10 weeks over the summer. I’d say we made the most of our time together. Now that it’s back to the grind, I’ve been preparing with all sorts of chores, organization projects, and other stuff.

I started by creating this yoga nook in our bedroom. It’s really no big deal, but I liked the idea of having a dedicated place to practice. You know, besides in the living room while my preschooler crawls all over me and I have to listen to Octonauts in the background.

I simply gathered up all my mats, blocks, straps, balls, and even a set of light weights and put them in a sturdy basket in the corner of the room. I also removed the old fluffy rug that was there and cleaned up the mirror so I can check my posture. I keep some essential oil room sprays in the shelf (for those of you who were asking, here’s a similar one) to help set the mood.


We ran out of laundry soap over the weekend, so I whipped up a new batch using my favorite recipe + a bar of Kirk’s Castile. I’ll have to let you know if I notice any difference changing soap. Some of you asked how we store our laundry soap (because we do liquid batches, 5 gallons at a time). We use an old Igloo Water Cooler we had in our garage. It works really well. We just make sure to stir everything up every week or so.

We’ve been making our own laundry soap for well over a year now, and I really like it. I will admit that for stinkier loads (exercise clothes -- lots of ‘em), we add an occasional scoop of OxiClean Free. It helps keep the stink at bay in those shorts that might have been in the basket a couple days.


I hung a few hooks in the kitchen door to make a place for my pizza peel and apron to live. Having ingredients, kitchen tools, and other stuff hanging around can look sort of busy. Still, I’ve found the functionality of having everything I regularly use so accessible to be well worth small visual disturbances.

I need to do an updated kitchen tour soon. We also hung this nifty spice rack I found at a thrift shop that was brand new, in the box from the 80s -- and it’s absolutely perfect! I also made the switch from our heavy Fiestaware (most of ours is in Peacock) to Corelle (I went with simple White) dishes for everyday eating. I still love all the colors and the classic appeal of Fiestaware, but it’s so cumbersome.


Speaking of kitchen tools, I gave my beloved spoons and other woodens some love this weekend. For the longest time I was entirely intimidated by wooden utensils and the like. They’d inevitably dry out when Stephen would -- with the best of intentions -- run them through the dishwasher. That’s a huge no-no.

For everyday use, simply rinse the wooden thing with hot water. That should get the majority of gunk off, especially if you do it at once when you’ve finished cooking or baking. I have also collected a few antique items through the years (that blonde rolling pin, for example), so to get that up to speed I use some Dr. Bronner’s soap and hot water. Wash a couple times.

Then -- whatever your method -- let it dry completely (several hours) before applying walnut oil (from my research, one of the only food oils that won’t go rancid) or mineral oil (petroleum-based, but that’s what most of the “cutting board” oils you’ll find that the store are) with a cloth. Let that soak in for 12 to 24 hours before using.

Oh, and I must say that my olive wood utensils fare the best of all.

HAPPY TUESDAY!

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Back Into the Swing // Fall

I have a bit of a rant about secondary infertility coming your way soon (I guess you’ve been warned!). But I’m not really in the mood to polish it off today, if you know what I mean. I thought I’d give you some up-to-the-minute updates instead. More fun, right? Stephen is coaching cross country this year. He’s in charge of the high school boys, and his schedule is going to be insane.

So, Ada and I are getting a head start on our return to the fall routine. Here’s a bit from our morning. I’ll probably elaborate on some of these things in other posts. Especially the command center. I cannot wait to see if this helps us stay organized this year.

#1: We filled the fridge with food. 

From Wal*Mart. I haven’t shopped there for groceries in ages, but since I was on that side of town, I thought I’d try. Wow. Not impressed with prices. Even Wegmans has them beat on a lot of stuff. The yogurt might be better priced, though.

I got all the watermelon Chobani I could carry.


#2: I made a green smoothie big enough for our whole family. 

I’m sipping the tall one right now!


#3: We’re created a command center.

I’ll try to snap more detailed shots once we actually put stuff on there. I’ve seen these on Pinterest for years. I want to organize our activities, meals, bills, obligations, and everything else on here. I went to Target and picked up a whiteboard weekly planner, a large cork board, and some magnets/pins/pens/etc.

My favorite part? The magnetic container. It’s the Biggy Perch by Urbio! When I looked it up online, I discovered that people use Urbio containers to make indoor gardens. Really cool.


#4: I’m making a fresh batch of laundry detergent.

I haven’t used Kirk’s Castile before, but I couldn’t find any Dr. Bronner’s on my search this morning. If you haven’t made your own DIY Laundry Detergent yet, you really should try. It’s changed how we wash our clothes.

Less crap in the water and WAY, way, way cheaper.


#5: My kitchen.

Yeah. I think it’s time for me to hop off and go clean this monster. I have a lot of cooking I want to do. I need to make a new bulk batch of Veggie Burgers to freeze. I’m getting ready to simmer the season’s first pot of Homemade Applesauce. And I’ll probably make a good number of Freezer Waffles for our busy mornings.

Yeah. We’re slowly getting back into the swing, and it feels good.

What’s on your back-to-school to-do list? 

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Freezer Drawer // Love or Hate It?

Airing my dirty laundry today. Or, I guess in this case, it's my cluttered freezer drawer.

We have an upright freezer in our basement that I have filled to the brim (and organized, labeled, etc.!) with all sorts of foods, from Vegetarian Freezer Month eats to big bulk bags of veggies + fruits to glass containers of homemade staples, like applesauce, waffles, and chili.

Our refrigerator's freezer drawer is quite another story, as you can see. It's a catch-all for leftovers that aren't as, well, planned. Like bananas that are too ripe. Or half bags of frozen stuff. Or old freezer packs. (We have a million on them somehow.) From what I discovered . . . stuff expired in 2007 and ALL . . . what we keep upstairs is stuff we rarely eat.

Hmmm.

I think a huge part of it is my own lack of labeling and organization coupled with the poor design. Or let me re-state that. The poor design for my own preferences. When we bought our refrigerator several years ago, a drawer was a HOT item on my must-have list. Now? I don't really like hate it! Everything gets lost in there.

After doing a major cleaning, I ended up getting rid of the majority of what you see above. Including a few rogue breastmilk bags from Ada's first year. Now we're left with an empty space looking to be filled.

Here's the deal:

• I'm planning to keep a roll of masking tape + a Sharpie next to the fridge to make labeling simple.
• I'd also like to create a list of what's in the freezer to post on the refrigerator door.
• I might invest in some smarter storage for that type of space, maybe something like these taller, slimmer containers.
• I may also try to create some loose zones in the freezer (like fruit, veggies, meals, desserts, etc.) so everything is easier to find.
• And obviously, I need to clean the freezer more regularly to keep everything under control.

I'm hoping to unveil a much more inspiring freezer space the next time I share. But I guess I'm wondering if any of you have tips you could give me. Do you have a freezer drawer? Love or hate it? And, it not -- maybe there are universal methods that would work for everyone?

I need all the help I can get!

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Organization, Shoes, and Sauce

This is what our house looked like over much of the weekend. Now, I know I said it was messy, but I'm sorry to disappoint you. It wasn't THIS bad all along. This is just how it looked while we organized.

We pulled everything out of the cupboards. I mean e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.

I found many bulk mystery flours and other unidentified things. I used to label and date stuff, but lost my way this past year. What I've decided for both a cleaner kitchen and tighter budget is to stop buying exotic ingredients. For example, having bread flour, white flour, and wheat flour is more than enough.

We'll see how long this "rule" lasts. I've been known to get far too excited about food, toting home some new and weird thing to cook or bake with, only to leave it unused for years. Waste. What a bad habit!

Onto much-needed new shoes . . .


It's been a good 7 months since I've bought sneakers, and it was definitely time. Notice anything strange in this photo? Probably not. It's such a minute difference, even I didn't detect anything was off until we got into the car.

First: I decided to go with the Nike FREE 4.0s -- a slightly more minimal version than the Nike Run + 3.0s I've been sporting for the past several years. I'll be sure to review them once I get in some miles and see if there's any significant difference.

(My prediction? No major change).


Anyway, I wear an 8.5. While trying them on, I remember that the right shoe felt slightly snugger than the left. I figured it was because the anti-theft buzzer was on my right foot. I must have been blinded by my love for the magenta color because I ended up buying two different sizes!

(Strangely enough, this is the second time I've come home from shoe shopping with two different sizes. I have no idea why I didn't check before buying. In a rush, I guess.)

I plan to take them back tomorrow and actually buy them again, but online. I found a much better deal at Running Warehouse, where membership to our local runners club means an extra 15% off. I don't know why I didn't just do that to begin with!

Now onto one of my worst food photos ever.


I'll blame it on the iPhone. But really, I can't take a good photo of eggs no matter what camera I'm using. Just don't look at the eggs. Focus on the sweet potatoes. I made the Miso-Tahini Sauce featured on Emily's blog finally over the weekend. I am hooked.

Go make it. NOW! We have a whole jar full of it ready for dribbling and dipping this week. Ada's BIRTHDAY week, by the way. The girl took her first steps yesterday. You can read about them -- as well as the rest of our weekend -- on Writing Chapter Three.

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Potato Rolls

As I mentioned yesterday, this is supposed to be the post about 10 things that have changed in my 10 years of running. I'm almost done with that one. Tomorrow, for sure. Tonight? Potato rolls.

But first: You should see my desktop. Having a baby isn't my excuse for for everything. Especially not my shoddy filing system. I do regular photo dumps onto my desktop, yes -- always my desktop, and have absolutely no organization system in place.

Look! It's embarrassing. (Equally embarrassing: That is a photo of Win Butler as my computer background. Not Ada or Stephen. Win Butler.)


I name my folders random things that pop into my head because I usually dump photos of all different topics into one folder (Ada, dinners, outdoor shots, house things, family, etc.). A folder with images of all sorts might get a title of something inane like: "Boogie" simply because Stephen may have said it to Ada while I was transferring.

You know. Making it nearly impossible to find stuff when I need to. Ada isn't my excuse, but I'd say that things got 10,000 times worse when she got here. I think I take a million photos of her each month.

Anyway, it's clear I need to get better at organization as it relates to the blog. A couple weeks ago I promised I'd be posting some recipes (I mentioned them in passing in photos) and I never got around to it. Here's just one of them!


MASHED POTATO ROLLS

What you'll need . . .

• 1-1/2 to 2 cups mashed potatoes (see notes below***)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups bread flour, plus more for kneading
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt (if you don't have any in your mashed potatoes -- otherwise, omit)
• 1 tablespoon flax meal mixed with 3 tablespoons hot water

***NOTE: If you already have mashed potatoes (or other puree, like pumpkin) on hand, you can use it. Otherwise make mashed potatoes for this recipe. I actually peeled and cubed mine, then put them in a large, shallow baking dish, poured a 12-ounce beer over top of them, salt, pepper, and olive oil, too. And let roast until soft. Then mashed. Delish.


Method . . .

1. Combine the 1 cup of warm water with the yeast and let sit for five minutes. Until frothy. 
2. Pour your flour and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. (You can do it by hand, too -- but I've been lazy lately.) Then pour in your yeast mixture, maple syrup, mashed potatoes, olive oil, and flax mixture. Mix well -- adding more flour or mashed potatoes as necessary.
3. Then turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic. 
4. Spritz some olive oil in your original mixing bowl, return the dough ball to it, and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour. 
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spritz a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside. 
6. Atop a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 12 to 16 large portions, depending on how large you want your rolls. Alternatively, you may freeze some of the dough for use at a later time. 
7. Take each piece of dough and shape it into a round, tucking under the excess to make the roll appear more roll-like (I can't think of a better way to describe it. Look at the first photo of this post!). 
8. Then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. 
9. Rolls are done when they are lightly browned. You can also cut into one to see if it's still too moist/dense. 
10. Let cool before slicing/serving.

You can eat these rolls on their own. But we used ours for tofu burgers. Sort of the same setup as when we made this Open-Faced Asparagus-Tofu Sandwich. Just burger-ized and slapped together with some Vegenaise (a big splurge for us), basil, ketchup, and mustard.


SITE UPDATES: The banner is back by popular demand. The sliding features option is gone. The "read more" is gone for good. And I think we're getting better. I do have goals to make a new banner this summer to reflect more current times. But I can't do everything at once as much as I'd like to.

PS: Today on Writing Chapter Three I share my first real victory as a new mom. And it wasn't facilitated by anything I read in books, blogs, or other websites. Nor was it advice from friends or family. Score one for the home team!

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Clean, Clear, and Under Control

If you were wondering what my baking drawer looks like now (after the last post about how messy it is!), you need not wonder any longer. For your viewing pleasure, I snapped a photo yesterday morning.

Even I was a bit shocked at all the clutter.

YIKES! I decided to take yesterday off from work . . . so this drawer was first on my to-do list. Immediately, I took everything out of it. Then I started to notice a pattern (as I predicted): I have more than two of basically everything.

Take a look at a few examples . . .


How many corkscrews does a girl need? I mean, we hardly ever drink wine anyway! And I thought I only had two sets of measuring cups. Nope -- there are three. The measuring spoons you see are worthless because the amount they measure has rubbed off. I've been holding on to all this stuff for over a year now!

1. After I emptied the drawer, I gave it a good scrub/cleaning. Then I laid down some shelf liner.
2. I isolated all duplicate tools and chose the best one (or set) from each. The others, I placed in a box for storage.
3. I (OK Stephen did this part) cleaned everything and then put it back into the drawer.

It's still a bit messy, but MUCH better than before.


I'll see how it goes. I may be reaching for a couple of those items again sometime soon. Mostly, I can see pulling out another set of measuring cups (because Stephen uses them as little bowls for snacks).

Otherwise, I'm going to try to do the best I can with less.

In all areas of my life, simplification is turning out to be the magical key to my general happiness and mental well-being. No place is this more true than in our bedroom. (Hah! Weird transition -- but I'm talking about the physical space.) I'll definitely post photos soon of our new bed and setup.

But it all started with organizing our clothing:


KEYS TO A CALM, PRODUCTIVE NIGHT:

1. When I get home from work, I immediately head up to the bedroom and strip. (TMI? Maybe.)
2. I put E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. in this room away, which is something I used to put off doing until later. And then it'd never happen.
3. If I didn't have time to make the bed that morning, I make it. Yeah. Even at 5:30 PM.
4. I've added a few candles to the space, too. And a few sticks of incense.
5. Then I get in my workout. Even if it's just a walk around the block.
6. We make/eat dinner. Trying to get better at making stuff ahead of time, but we usually find ourselves eating around 7:30 PM. A little late for my tastes.
7. Instead of watching TV until it's time to go to bed, I force myself upstairs at least an hour before I plan to get my Zzzzs. (For me, this is usually around 9 or 9:30 PM.)
8. Then I dim the lamps, light some candles/incense, and READ. Or other times, I just lay there. But mostly I read or even play chess (or do crosswords) on my Nook.

Seems like basic advice, right? But my nights hadn't been this organized. So, I've been falling asleep like a pro these past couple weeks. Though I didn't really have trouble in this department before, I certainly feel less stress. Being on a schedule and making sure sacred spaces are clear and clean helps way more than I thought it would.

What is your after-work/evening schedule like? Any tricks to share with the rest of us? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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