Breakfast Solved

Are you tired of the same old boring milk and cereal for breakfast?  

 Is each member of your family whining for something different?  

Check out this $0 Budget Solution-

It's a pretend-you're-at-a-restaurant Breakfast Menu that your family plans, not you!   

I've really enjoyed the benefits of having a meal plan, but somehow breakfast always got left out.  


Everyday was a "I'll wing it" day.  After lots of "winging it" I came up with a solution that took less pressure off of me and got the kids involved.

Here's how it works-

• Each child gets to choose what the family will have for breakfast and write it on the special breakfast menu.
• No arguing!  If you're not crazy about what someone else picked, remember that you also had the opportunity to choose and your day will come.
• In 2 weeks, lay it out for the kids to choose again.  

Details:

• I created a blank menu in Excel, featuring each day of the week and spaces for them to write in their choices. 
• Choices are at the bottom.  It's kind of like having your own personalized restaurant at home! 
• The categories included "Drinks" and "Breakfast Foods."  I made sure to include options that I was willing to make and that we normally have on hand.  
• If we were out of something or if time wouldn't permit a meal with a longer preparation time, I'd try to let them know while we were planning. 
• I like to create 2 weeks' worth of ideas at once because it gives me more time before I have to do it again, and it makes me feel like I've really accomplished a lot!  :)

I don't know about your house, but in mine, breakfast can be a scramble.  (haha!)  Between sleepy kids, trying to get them ready for school, and managing differing tastes, it can get hectic quickly!  

So, after squelching bickering over the breakfast fare for (hopefully) the last time, I came up with this idea that's worked well in our home.  

It's just one small step that's helping us Get It All Together, together.

What's your family's breakfast routine?

Untangling Technology

We all love technology.  It's so helpful and it's everywhere in today's world.

Often times cords- lots of cords- accompany that technology.  It's great that you can go wireless on so many devices.  But, if you have a desktop computer, you're bound to have a tangled mess of cords hanging from the back of your computer desk.


As embarrassing as it is, this was hiding under my computer desk.  I'd had a vision of what I wanted it to look like and what I thought it should look like.  But, I couldn't face it then and opted to ignore it in favor of higher priorities like family and school.  So, today's Before & After is long overdue and happily accomplished!

What a jumbled mess!

Supply List

• Velcro strips for bundling wires --They have both sides of Velcro on one piece, so all you have to do is wrap it around the cords.  They're about $5 online.
• If you don't gave Velcro strips, you could use a zip cord (but this isn't easily removed), cord covers, long bread ties, or string.
• Clear Command Hooks

Here's How I Untangled My Technology:

I started by turning off the computer.  (Well, I checked out the wires first, then decided that I'd better turn it off to be safe!)   :)

 

Next, I traced each wire to it's device and it its outlet.  Once I knew which cord belonged where, it was easy to see that there was an extra cord down there!  I quickly unplugged it and tossed it aside for my IT hubby to take care of.  Whew!  One less cord to deal with!

Then, I grabbed the Velcro strips.  They had been hanging around the house, waiting for me to use them.  Finally, they had their moment to shine!  My IT helper graciously helped bundle the mess.  He used about 3 strips at the top, middle, and bottom to create one large cord.  Once you've got one cord, it's a lot easier to handle.

Then, I attached one Clear Command Hook to the back of my computer desk.  This would hold the bundled cord in place, hiding it behind the desk.

 

 

 

Once it was firmly attached, I just hooked the bundled cord on it, tidied up the rest behind the computer tower, and ta-da!  It was finished!

After is so much better!  Now it's neater, safer, and it's helped me move one step closer to Getting It All Together.  What works for you?  I'd love to hear your comments.

Donation Station

Last year I read a great website that had a Declutter Calendar.  The author's ideas were so simple and easy to do that I got really excited about it.  Today we're getting back to her first step- 

Creating a Donation Station.  

This is a great idea!  Every organization project involves sorting & purging through things.  By setting up a place for items to be donated, it will cut down on multiple donation piles scattered throughout the house.  (These drive me crazy!) 

You can use anything from a new trash bag, to a cardboard box, a clean, unused trash can, or a laundry basket, assuming you have an empty one! 

Some things are necessary and should be kept around.  But, often we grow out of things.  In other words, our lifestyle has changed and these things are no longer a match for us or for our family.  When this happens, its time to reevaluate. 


 The next time you're sorting through things, ask yourself:

1. Do I still use this?  When was the last time I used it?  (If you can't remember, be honest with yourself.)
2. Do I need this item?
3. Do I want this item?
4. Could someone else benefit from this more than me?

If I don't need or want this anymore, could someone else benefit from it?  If the answers lead you to donation, consider someone close to you.  Goodwill, The Salvation Army, and other thrift stores are also great options.


No matter who you choose to give to, you'll feel good about sharing with others.  You'll feel lighter and better after freeing yourself of unwanted things that can weigh you down.  Setting up a donation station is just one more small step towards Getting It All Together.

Laundry Area- Before & After

Today's project is the laundry area.  

My laundry "room" is really a walkway, not a room.  It's a long, narrow hallway that used to be a back porch when the home was originally built over 70 years ago.  Over the years, previous owners enclosed it and made a small space for the washer and dryer.

It's not fancy.  It doesn't have many shelves, hooks that are functional, or enough space to hang my ironing board.  I did put a laundry sorter in front of the washer a few years ago that got most of the dirty laundry out of my room.  Yay!

Before

Requests:

• Get rid of the junk!  No toys on the dryer that were saved after being washed.
• Shelves or spaces for all the laundry soaps, etc.
• Clean- no more dryer lint everywhere
• Make it more functional

Budget:

• $0 and whatever I have on hand
• Painting & additional shelving would be great, but they're not in today's budget

 The Process

First- Clean
I took everything off & wiped it all down.  No more laundry soap granules, lint, or spilled fabric softener!  It looked so much better already- wow!

Second-  The Evaluation Process
Do I still need this?  Have I used it?  (The coupon expired in 2008.  I think it's safe to go!  haha!)

Never used - time to trash!

Yes, I still want to keep the bleach.  No, I don't need 3 partially used containers of it.  I consolidated the containers and tossed out the empty bottle.

No, the bottle of Shout isn't full.  It's empty.  Time to toss it!

Yes, I'd like to keep the bar of Fels Naptha for spot treating.  No, I don't want it to sit directly on the dryer- must find a container.

Yes, I'd like to keep the lost coin jar.

Yes, I'd really like to keep the laundry soap!  But, the container doesn't fit anymore- must find a better container.
  
Third- Containers
I found a traveling soap container that works great for the Fels Naptha to sit in.  Now my space is protected and the soap has a new home.

I've been making homemade laundry detergent lately and keeping it in an old ice cream container.  A "new" whipped topping container that fits better and allows me to free up some much needed space.

Fourth- Organizing
Now, it's time to really get to work.  When putting things back, they have to be functional.  You wouldn't put the flatware in the garage because it just doesn't work.  The same principle applies here.

 
Things should be arranged so that they are in the most efficient place- a "home" that is accessible and in the closest location to avoid duplication of motions or spillage.  These lead to inefficiencies, frustration, and the clutter bug.


I realized that I really didn't like the fake foliage that was spilling from the wall near the washing machine.  So, I took it out!  It felt so good to be free of the cheap plastic leaves that had been placed there to make the house more appealing to buyers over 10 years ago.  (Why did I wait so long?)


In its place I discovered that I did have another shelf- wow!  After some cleaning, it became the new home for the ironing supplies and bottles that were on the dryer.

Fun Discoveries of the Process:

• A car seat manual.  Who would've thought to look on top of the dryer?!
• Buttons
• Outdoor Christmas light hangers
• Detergent samples 
• Shoe laces
• A child's watch and ring

This project has given me a fresh start on laundry! (haha)  I feel lighter, uplifted, and happy to see improvement.

Organizing and designing a space that feels comfortable and that truly works for each individual is what I really enjoy.  Keep following along for more ideas that help you Get It All Together.

 Before & After

Sweater Disaster- Before & After

Before

  Eeek!  

Look at all those sweaters ready to fall out of the closet! 

What a disaster!

Okay, let's admit it- sometimes even the best intentions get thwarted by the clutter bug.  So, when the clutter bug settles in, it's time for an organizational overhaul.

Today's project is this disastrous stack of sweaters- AKA The Leaning Stack of Sweaters. haha!




Problems:

• Messy!
• Too many sweaters stacked on top of each other
• Gravity is about to win 
• Can't tell what's in there

Solutions:

• First, everything comes off the shelf.  We've got to see what's there and sort it out.
• Adjust the shelves!  This closet comes with adjustable shelves.  There are WAY too many sweaters for just one shelf.  So, we'll adjust the shelves to create two spaces and divide the tower in two.  
• A solid foundation- fold every sweater in a uniform manner for stability.  Plus, they're so much prettier!

One Sweater

• Keep folding & stacking, keeping the large, more bulky ones on the bottom.

After

After- Two Shelves

 Ta Da!  The stack is no longer leaning.  Plus, you can actually see all your options available for the next cold, winter day. 

It's a simple, easy, and free fix that can help you Get It All Together.

Hello Again!

Hi.  It's been awhile since we've seen each other.  Thanks for hanging around!

I've been busy gathering lots of new ideas, adding new projects, and new photos.

Stick with me for new posts each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday while we Get It All Together.

Clutter

I came across this great quote while my kids were in school this year.  It's ironic that I just found it in a stack of papers that was, well.....clutter.  (how embarrassing!)

Clutter can grow into stacks of grief.  

'A place for everything, and everything in its place.'- Isabella Mary Beeton

I saved it to share with you and remind us all that clutter is mostly just great stacks of stuff waiting to be sorted through.  Sometimes we stack it because we can't face it right now.  Sometimes we create clutter because we don't have the time to take care of it right then. 
 Either way, I've never seen a pretty stack of clutter.  Have you?

So, here's to un-cluttering our lives and homes and determining what really matters to us.

Keep organizing and Getting It All Together.