Can I share now?

If you haven't seen the two previous posts that are not decluttering related, scroll down.

There. Now it's share time :)

Here is another closet. It's in our entryway to the garage and it's kind of random. It stores a plethora of randomness like crock pots, roasting pans, the George Foreman, cleaning supplies, dog supplies, extra garbage bags, light bulbs brooms, a mop, flashlights, bug spray, and owners manuals.
Before:
I threw away cheap candles, cleaning supplies I don't use anymore, I'm donating an extra toaster. I moved some stuff out, and moved other stuff in.

The result:
(I'm loving those inexpensive bins from Target. I used them in my linen closet too).
Top shelf: appliance type stuff.
2nd shelf: George Foreman, and all of those iron things that go inside of it are stored in the bin.
3rd shelf: Cleaning supplies in one bin, Norwex cleaning rags and mitts and things in the other.
4th shelf: Dog stuff and owners manuals.
5th shelf: Dust pan, and in one bin is lightbulbs, and in the other bin is flashlights and bug spray, stored around the corner is the garbage bags.
6th shelf: Reuseable shopping bags
My brooms and mop are stored on the door and just inside the closet.

So pretty :)

Tupperware cabinet
Over the weekend, I moved on to more kitchen cupboards. Here's my tupperware cupboard before the overhaul. Yes, I did feel the need to keep all of the plastic tubs. You never know when someone will come over for dinner and I'll give them leftovers! ::eyeroll:: I thought I was organized because I have all of the circles stacked with circles, squares with squares, etc. AND I had that purple basket on the bottom to hold (most) of the lids.

Before:
I indeed threw away all of the tubs on the top shelf, I'm giving the glass jars to my dad for canning, I moved a few things into other (organized) cupboards, threw away the ice cube trays since our fridge has an ice maker, and gave the purple basket a new purpose.

After:
Top shelf: just a few larger/random items. The coffee can behind the other things actually found a new purpose--storing cookie cutters.
2nd shelf: lids, in stacks by shape
3rd shelf: Tupperware in stacks by shape
4th shelf: lunch boxes, bottles, milk jugs I use to store breastmilk in for daycare, and in the purple basket you'll find little snack bowls and their lids.

"Dishes" cabinet:
When I had finished organizing that cupboard, I needed something to put in the bottom shelf (you can see it's pretty empty), I decided to just go ahead and do the cupboard that has the plates/bowls/glasses/etc. in it. Once again, I thought I was being organized by putting all the sippy cup/water bottle parts in that plastic tub on the bottom shelf. Amateur.
Before:
Tons of kids' cups (and all their parts) and freebie cups (and Oh hello, Country Fest 2003 mug I haven't used in 8+ years!) were taking over. I tossed a bunch out. Luckily I did this at nap time. Hopefully Colin will never remember he once had a blue and white striped globe to drink out of. I also threw out the sippy cups whose valves I hated cleaning (FYI-Playtex) and only kept the ones that were easy to clean (FYI-Tommee Tippee)

After:
Top shelf: water bottles, margarita glasses (I was tempted to throw them away, but resisted...for now), travelers mugs, and coffee mugs
2nd shelf: Glasses, wine glasses, "iced tea footed" glasses (we do use these on occasion), kids cups with their lids on them instead of in the (now gone) plastic tub.
3rd shelf: self explanatory

Other decluttered spaces:
I've also cleaned out other cupboards that were more minor and didn't need organizing, just decluttering. I'm donating my chocolate fondue set and a smoothie maker (we have a blender anyway). I'm taking some big, fun bowls to school to use there.

We also cleaned out our closet. I had one of those fabric organizer things, and didn't really use it very much, so I took that out, and I'm donating some dresses I don't wear anymore. We threw away some clothes that don't fit or we don't wear.

I cleaned off our dresser. Sadly, I don't recall the last time it had been dusted. Too much work to take all the crap off the top. Now it only houses essential things like a wedding picture, lotion, and a jewelry box.

Next up:
The next task I'd like to do is going through our "seasonal" clothes bin which also stores maternity clothes and clothes that don't fit right now, but will (like my jeans in all sizes for different stages of breastfeeding). I may just bring it upstairs right now and dump it all out on the living room floor.

I'm really look forward to, but am totally overwhelmed by, organizing our basement storage room. It's going to take both of us, plus someone to act as child wrangler, to go through it efficiently. A lot is going to need to be thrown away or stored in bins. And when it's done, I do believe a glass of wine will be in order :)

What we've been up to

Ben is staying awake for longer stretches during the day, and still napping long (3 hr) stretches. He sleeps for about 3 hr intervals at night, which is okay at this point. He's still a 3rd shift alarm clock. No matter if he's sleeping or awake before 10:00, he'll wake up right around that time to just be fussy for awhile. Between walking him around the house and feeding him, we are able to eventually get him back to sleep.

Colin cut his two bottom 2 year molars--finally. Not that you would know. Molars are painless for him. He went to the dentist with me today and got a ride in the chair. He let the hygienist put the bib on, but wouldn't even look at her, let alone open his mouth. After trying to bribe him with a prize, we said enough and he got off the chair. Then he decided he did want the airplane prize, so he opened his mouth and did a great job of showing the hygienist his teeth. Our next appointment is in July, and hopefully he'll let her in his mouth.

We started a behavior chart with Colin. He'd been having a ton of time outs. Life with a sassy toddler wasn't really all that fun, quite frankly. So now he puts a post-it note on the fridge, and if he has a day with no time outs, he puts a sticker on the post-it. When he gets 3 stickers, he gets a treat. On Saturday morning, I took him to the gas station and he picked out a huge cookie. He has 2 stickers on his new post-it, so hopefully we'll be getting another treat soon.

Kevin has been home a lot since it's winter and business is slow. His flexible schedule has been nice so that I can run Colin to daycare three times a week while he stays home with sleepy Ben. He's a great diaper changer and fussy Ben walk-arounder.

I failed to mention that I sort of ran my Explorer into an embankment a week ago. I had taken Colin to daycare and Ben was at home with Kevin. I was driving home and started fishtailing on some ice and just couldn't gain control back. My Explorer started going toward the ditch. I debated whether or not to step on the brake or not. I did, and the Explorer did a 180 and hit the embankment on the drivers side. Of course I didn't have my cell phone with me (Murphy's Law), so I had to walk to a nearby house. The old guy that lived there was less than compassionate, just asking me if I had hit his mailbox. Eyeroll. Kevin and his dad came out to assess the damage and Kevin drove it home. Turns out I totaled it (doesn't take much when it's not worth a lot), and now we're in the process of getting a new vehicle; probably another Explorer. Since it was totaled, we can also get new car seats, so I ordered those today. I feel okay. My back hurts sometimes and I want to go to the chiropractor but, well, I kind of need a way to get there! My pride hurts more though. We haven't had a car payment for a long time, and now we'll have one, although hopefully it will be pretty small. Kevin's parents have been nice enough to lend us their vehicle for times I need to drive.

I've been decluttering some more. I'm sure you're all excited to see pictures of my Tupperware cupboard, dishes/cup cupboard, cleaning closet, and hear all about the rest. Let's just say that it's only January 23 and I'm done with the January and February calendars and much of March-July as well. :) Don't worry. I will post all about it soon.

SHOW ME THE BABY!

I know what you're thinking. Stop showing me pictures of your damn closet and show me some pictures of the cute little baby! I get it. I'd be thinking the same thing too. But I gotta be proud of myself and show off the closet too.

Without further ado...

A smile (squeal?)Modeling his diapers and 14 lbs of cute baby chub
Another kind of smile
85% of his time is spent doing this
Brothers

Cut the Crap! Update

I've decided that I'm just going to go through the calendar and get it done--some days doing more than one calendar day at a time. I would like to show you my handiwork, if you don't mind.

Here's my spice/cooking cabinet. This is the "after" picture, with everything I threw away on the countertop. Don't mind the top shelf--that's the recipe book shelf and I haven't gotten to that yet.
This is the linen closet. MESSY. Embarrassing.
Top half "before":
"After." TA-DA! The top shelf has Rocket's "blanket" and a random heating pad. Second shelf down has a zippered blanket box that holds sheets and extra pillowcases (I threw 2 sheet sets away and I'm donating the pillow shams I don't use). Third shelf down has beach towels, hand towels, and the green basket holds washcloths. Fourth shelf down holds towels.
Bottom half "before":
This is all the stuff I pulled out of just the floor and bottom 2 shelves (basically what is pictured above). I threw out a ton of it. Lesson learned: Space Saver bags suck. All but 1 went in the garbage.
The bottom half "after". The "top" shelf has toilet paper, kleenexes, and air fresheners. The green baskets hold extra kitchen towels (I'm donating a bunch that I barely used) and rags. Behind the rags are old towels we use as dog paw wipers, dog dryer offers, etc. The next shelf down has extra pillows, a quilt, and a comfortor. The tub on the floor holds extra blankets.Pretty snazz-tastic, huh?

Other projects I have conquered:
Bathroom drawers/storage--threw out a ton of skin care products I'm not going to use and consolidated a bunch of random stuff into one basket in a cabinet.

Utensil drawers--the ones with the spatulas, serving spoons, can opener, measuring cups/spoons, etc. I'm still not completely sold on it and have to think some more about it.

Foyer closet, which mostly meant relocating Kevin and my winter stuff to our own baskets in the entryway. There's not a whole lot of excitement to see there, so I'll spare you the pictures. Just trust me that it looks nice!

Next up:
The closet that holds cleaning supplies, our bedroom closet. I'm totally in "closet" mode. I have totally caught the decluttering bug, and believe it or not I'm having a lot of fun throwing stuff away.

First Monthday!

I can't believe Ben is already 1 month old. Seems like just yesterday he joined us, yet here we are a month later.
Ben is starting to be able to hold his head up.
He smiles and coos (still have to catch a smile on camera!).

He sleeps a lot, and sometimes is awake for as much as 3 hours. He definitely likes to be awake right as we're ready to go to bed at night. He sleeps pretty well at night, waking every 2-3 hours to eat and get his diaper changed. When he's done eating and burping, I lay him in his crib "drowsy but awake" and he goes back to sleep.

He has taken a bottle a few times when I've ran a quick errand and left him home with Kevin.

He seems to like baths, or at least tolerate them.

He's 14 lbs (!!) of love, and he's already wearing 3-6 months sized clothes.

Ben is easygoing--he'll go anywhere and do anything and be content doing it. We're hoping this personality trait continues :) It's pretty darn fabulous.

Needs > Numbers

Parenting the second time around is much different than doing it the first time. I've decided this time, it's much more about needs, less about numbers.

This time, I nurse Ben whenever he's hungry without groaning "but I just fed you 30 minutes ago!" Ok, I admit that I do groan a little--but only at 10 p.m. when he's hungry and awake and I'm ready to go to bed,

This time, I don't look at the clock in the middle of the night watching time pass. When Ben wakes up, I ask Kevin what time it is just out of curiosity. I feed Ben. I fall asleep. In the morning, I don't remember how many times or how frequently he woke up.

This time, with Ben being so much bigger than Colin, I admit there's a little part of me that fears his nickname in life will be Big Ben. But then I remind myself that he's sure to even out, and I've met plenty of normal sized children who were 10 lbs at birth. So drink up, little man.

This time, I don't cry as each Saturday comes and goes, sad that he's 1...2...3... weeks old. Of course I will miss him being this tiny, but there's so, so much more to look forward to. If Saturdays never came, I'd never get to hear his laugh or play with him, or listen to him "read" books to me, or hear him say, "Mommy I love you. You're my best friend" just as Colin told me a few days ago.

So you see, I'm learning that in life, needs are far greater than numbers.

Cut the Crap!

Okay, so as I posted about in my Resolutions post below, I'm going to declutter this year. I'm using the calendar I posted in the aforementioned post.

To kick things off, Kevin and I went to Target yesterday and I bought 2 junk drawer organizers to use on January 13 and 14. And then I got home and I just couldn't leave them in a bag to cause...you know, clutter...so I decided to organize the junk drawers pretty much the moment I set foot in the house.

I wish I had a before shot of our kitchen, because people, the transformation of a simple junk drawer is a.ma.zing! I organized the 2-3 junk drawers we had (1 wasn't necessarily a junk drawer, but it needed some serious organization anyway). Then I looked at the countertops and saw 2 baskets worth of crap that needed to be organized, so I organized and threw out a bunch of stuff from them. It all lead to my countertops being completely cleaned off. This hasn't happened since 2006 when we moved into our house.

But I do have an after shot. Anybody who has been to my house recently and has a semi-recollection of the uh...collections...will be quite impressed. Right Mom!?!?! Even those baskets waaaay at the end of the counter will be leaving soon. One has Christmas cards in it. The other has just a few random things in it. It's kind of like a "to do" basket.
I (jokingly) told Kevin that now I needed to find some stuff to put on our counters. He chuckled a bit and said, "or we could use it for dishes that sit there just temporarily." Whatever dude.

I also set up this nifty little station. Top drawer for "returns" (things I have to give back to people or things to return to a store). Middle drawer for "donate." Bottom drawer TBD. Empty at own convenience. The return box is already pretty full. The donate box has stuff in it too, and will be full all the time with all of this decluttering going on. It was a great help even just yesterday when I started sifting through all of the crap.
Cheers to the start of decluttering. I just *really* hope I can keep up with it all year long.

New Years Resolutions

First, let's see what resolutions I stuck to in 2011.

1. Run/"do" 3 races. One I have in mind is the Root River Triathlon, which includes 6.5 miles of canoeing instead of swimming. Also, 8 miles of biking and a 3 mile run.
*Did this race whilst 11 weeks pregnant. Haven't run since. It's all good though. A triathlon is like 3 races all rolled into one, right? I will get back on the running bandwagon in 2012, and perhaps run a 5k. I'm not going to worry about running too much this year because breastfeeding is a bigger priority in 2012.

2. Pay off a large chunk of debt. I'd like to say half of what we owe. Seems like a lofty goal, but perhaps we can do it barring no financial obstacles getting in our way.
*We did pay off a large chunk, but not half of what we owe. All together, we've paid off about $12,000 since June 2009 :) And that's about a third better than where we started from. Bottom line is, the numbers are getting smaller and we are making headway.

3. Leave work at the end of the day with a clean(er) desk. The least I can do is put the papers in one nice, neat stack, right? Really, I'm going to try hard to get better at this.
*Yeah, this didn't happen. Except for the 2 weeks before Ben was born when I cleaned it off every single day just in case I wasn't back the next day.

4. Get Colin potty trained for good (I know, I keep saying that. 2011 is the year baby!).
*Totally conquered this one so long ago.

5. Re-start "date nights" on the 7th(ish) of every month. Kev and I have been slacking. With a fresh batch of gift cards in-hand, we're ready!
*We didn't go out every month...just a few scattered here and there, and they were more like lunch dates, which is fine and dandy too. Usually the 7th would come and go and we wouldn't even think about it.


So maybe I didn't do so well. Let's see what 2012 will bring:

1. Pay off more debt. Losing salary due to 6 weeks of non-paid maternity leave will put a damper on that, but starting in September (when my paychecks go back to normal) hopefully we'll be able to put all of the money I make teaching piano lessons towards it.

2. Declutter. Dudes, I found this decluttering calendar and I'm going to declutter in 2012. It's going to be dorky but it's going to be awesome. I invite you to join me. I have even gotten an early start and will post about it soon.

3. Survive the "Terrible 2s" and the first 8 months of the "Trying 3s": Round 1 (Colin). I hope to come back unscathed.

4. Be more generous. Not necessarily with money because we can't offer more right now. I'm talking about being more generous with my time, my love, and my heart. I often find myself selfish when others are so generous to me. I want to be more giving. There will be a time when I can also afford to be generous with my money, which I also will enjoy.

5. Make time for Rocket. I hate to admit it, but there are many days when I go to bed and realize that I haven't given the pooch very many pets or belly rubs or ear scratches or ball tosses or chases around the yard. He's my "first born" and I don't like knowing he's been put on the back burner that's behind another back burner.