Organization and Cleaning...

When I was in my teen years, growing up with an identical twin, I wasn't the cleanest of the two. My sister and I shared a room and a closet. Our room usually always looked clean, but not because I was the one doing it. I hated it. I fought my mom on a daily basis about doing anything that involved cleaning. Hated to dust and absolutely refused to clean the bathroom. She finally gave in and quit asking me because it was just easier to have my sisters do it, instead of arguing with me constantly.

When I was older and living in my own home and single, I still had my sister come over once a week and clean my house. More than once she would get so mad about how I kept my house that she would often walk out. She would always come back and finish because she is that kind of person, plus it probably helped that I was paying her. It wasn't that I was lazy, I just hated it.

Now, as a married adult with children, my hate for cleaning has changed. I don't love it, I just know that it's my job as a wife, so I do it. However, a little confession - my mom still comes over and cleans my microwave, but that's it I swear. As I mentioned before I really hate to clean bathrooms, even my own. But when I find something from the store that really works and makes my cleaning easier I am all for it. For the past two years I have been using Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Step Toilet Bowl Cleaner. It came with a wand and a brush type thing that you hook into the wand. You scrub the inside of your toilet and when its clean you push a button and it drops in and is flushable. Now this is my idea of a great product. Only problem is our local Walmart has quit selling or stocking them. Much to my dismay, I am back to square one looking for something that requires little effort on my part.

Each week, I grab the 'All You' Magazine off the shelf because it always has great ideas, coupons and great stories that are written mostly from moms, housewives, etc around the United States. This is my kind of magazine. Well the first issue I bought must have known that I needed a solution. Because on page 146 there is a section called "Make your own household cleaners". I'm thinking, yeah right who has time for that. But as I am reading it says Toilet Bowl Cleaner. I'm instantly hooked. It says, fill a small empty dish-soap bottle with half water and half dish soap (I suggest Dawn) and use it to squirt around the bowl. Scrub and your done. That seems simple enough. I have tried this and it works. Who would have thought. I don't have the trouble of wondering if they will suddenly stop carrying dish soap because the chances of that is unlikely.
I realize this may not be for everyone but I was in need of something that would work great and would be fast and easy.

Here is another great orgazinizing idea. You can pick cheap ones up at Walmart for a dollar if you don't want to spend the money on expensive ones. But either way you will get the same result. I have an obession with handbags and scarves among other things. My problem is I have no where to put them in my closet that looks neat, so they usually end up under the bed, not organized. So recently when I was reading MSN they had this wonderful idea. It says to use shower curtain hooks to hang scarves and handbags on your clothes rack. I'm thinking what a wonderful idea, why haven't I thought of that. Recently my daughter got married and moved out. So we have a spare bedroom that will soon be our office but the closet in this room is too big not to enjoy. Since I used a majority of the closet in my room and my husband's clothes were always crammed I opted to move my clothes to her old closet and let him have ours. Since there is so much room in that closet I have been able to utilize the shower curtain hook idea for my scarves and handbags. It makes it look so neat and organzied and I love it. See picture below, not my closet but you get the idea!

I hope that some of you will be able to use these wonderful ideas. I am always looking for great things so if you have any wonderful idea please post them in the comment section. Thanks for reading and hope you all have a blessed week! :)

If my brain is organized..the rest will follow

This past weekend was a busy weekend for me. My friend Cherilyn (also a contributor on this blog) let me help her with a wedding she was photographing this weekend. Being a new photographer I was excited for the exposure plus the challenge. I have photographed a wedding before but it was my daughters wedding and Cherilyn helped me with that too but it doesn't count.

We spent two days taking pictures. I tried to delete the ones I didn't like as I was taking them or when I had time but when I got home I soon found out I didn't do so well in that area. I tend to over shoot a pose or take several shots of the same thing to make sure I get the shot I am intending to get. I guess mostly because I don't have enough confidence to make sure I get it the first time. Mostly nerves. When I get home and put the SD card in my computer I find that I have taken over 700 pictures. I am overwhelmed and not sure where to begin. Cherilyn must have sensed my anxiety from afar, because she sent me an email explaining how she organizes photos she needs to edit.

I am very thankful for this, but I also believe it will help anyone that needs to organize photos they need to edit, or post, or have printed. I have found that it works for all sorts of photos and have implemented them in all pictures I need to do stuff with. I realize it's basic and most people already may do this, but just in case, here it goes.

I make folders on my desktop and label them. For instance in the wedding category, there are before, posed, during, rehearsal, after. For my sister, I just label it with her name. For senior pictures, I also label by name. For pictures I take, I usually just put them under a folder with my name, but if there are several different categories, then it could be like Easter, Christmas, Birthday, etc. you get the idea. Then I move the photos to their respective folders. This way, I don't have to be looking at all of them and think OH MY! Then I choose the pictures I want to start with first. Since I tend to overshoot most of the time, I look at each one either by thumbnail or individually and start deleting the ones I don't like, or ones where their eyes may be closed or someone isn't looking. After that is done, then I edit, or for those that don't do editing, upload to Facebook to a specific album or upload to the website I use to print.

I hope this helps you all when you feel overwhelmed with pictures. If you are like me, sometimes you wait until your camera or SD card is full before you decide to upload. Good Luck in all of your photo ventures.

Juggling Multiple Jobs

Photo Credit Here

In addition to being a mother and a writer, I also maintain a full-time job outside of the home. By the time my commute is factored in, I spend approximately eleven hours a day away from my house…away from the mountain of work that awaits me even during my “down time.”

A typical day for me looks like this:

6:00am—Get up, get myself ready for work and my daughter ready for school

7:00am (hopefully!)—Leave the house

8:30am-5:00pm—Work

5:00pm-6:30pm—Pick up daughter from daycare, arrive home

6:30pm-6:45pm—Beg my husband to let us have take out ;o)

7:00pm-10:30pm—Writing, playing with daughter, housework, spending time with husband

10:30pm—Getting everyone ready for bed

I know you’re probably wondering why I felt it necessary to list out my entire schedule…it’s because I want to demonstrate that as mothers, whether we work outside the home or not, our lives are busy…jam-packed. You could probably fill the 8:30-5 gap with a thousand necessary things that you do at home.

So here are my tips for juggling several jobs without doing disservice to them all:

· Utilize To-Do Lists.

Desirea did a fabulous post here about the subject. Without my lists (and I have a separate notebook for what needs to be done around the house, at work, and with my writing), I’d be lost!

· Learn what can wait.

Not everything has to be done right this minute. Figuring out what I can procrastinate on helps free up time for something more pressing.

· Try to set boundaries for your business time.

In theory, I’m much better at this than in actual practice. But I firmly believe having a set schedule for when you do your work from home (or house work, etc.) helps keep things under control. Setting these boundaries also allows you to consciously spend more time with your family, relaxing, etc., outside of your “work” hours.

· Learn that sometimes it’s okay not to work.

Sometimes I think I must be the worst mother in the world! I let the stress of my day job and of my writing career convince me that I have to go 90 to nothing in order to get it all done. I stay up late, get up early, burning the candle at both ends to get something finished. Unfortunately, sometimes, I’ve done this to the exclusion of my family. So my biggest challenge is letting the workaholic in me take the day off. This gives me the opportunity the chance to focus on my two more important jobs: being a wife and mother.

How about you? What helps keep you sane when you’re trying to juggle a thousand things at once?

~ So Much 'To Do' Lists... by Desirea Packard ~

I was not always an organizational person by nature. In fact, if you asked my twin, who I shared a room with until we went to college, she would totally agree. I became more organized after I got married and had children. I guess because it wasn't just about me anymore, there were other people who depended on me. Now that I am a more organized person, I make lists. I have several lists, some are covering my desk, some I have lost and then I have to make another list and try to remember what was on the one I lost. Not always the best way to go about it. But it is what it is.

I make a list of things that I would like to accomplish by the end of the week. If I make it for one day, I find myself getting bogged down on what I didn't get finished, so I plan for a week. Of course with that being said, I always find myself adding to it daily. For example, one of the lists I make is not really a list, but a meal plan. Once a month, I sit down and make a list of what's for dinner. This is time consuming, but also very helpful because this way, half of my grocery list is made for the week because I all ready have a list of meals planned. Plus this way, I am not playing the "what's for dinner?" game. I am not perfect at this, it's something that I work hard at because it's much easier. I make a list for things pertaining to my photography work, like editing photos or following up with a client, or ordering prints. I make a list for household things that need to be done like cleaning the bathroom (because I HATE doing it) or dusting. Even though these are things I should do without a list, it's hard for me to do them because cleaning house is not my favorite thing to do. If I am lucky enough, I can call my mom and she does it for me. Lame I know, but a true story. The point is, lists can be very helpful in your everyday life, whether it's for work, your children, your family or your meals, they are a resource in helping you accomplish your goals for the day, week or even months. But remember don't get aggravated with the things you don't get done, just keep working and check off the things that you have done. It's quite rewarding that way especially if you are not having that great of a day as you would like, seeing the things you did accomplish marked off always makes me feel better. I could never manage working at home and keeping the home separate without them!

Where Do I Begin?

by Doula Brandi

Where do I begin? This is not in reference to writer’s block, on the contrary it’s the question that I ask myself every year when I get the urge to de-clutter and do a deep spring cleaning. I have to admit that since having children I have become a ‘messy’. My past organized self has disappeared behind mountains of laundry, tons of toys, and reams of school papers. I’ve misplaced my day planner not to mention not being able to find the desk top or the sewing machine. This is not to place the blame of my untidiness onto my children, just in recognition of the immense amount of work that a mother has to do, especially a work at home mother. It is also about me realizing that time and space management are of the utmost importance.

Organization is a must for a successful home based business operation. 2011 is my year of taming the tiger of clutter. The inner ‘neat freak’ in me wants to come out, I can feel it. I just need motivation, energy and some inspiration. For a great while I have dreamed of a workspace, one off-limits to inquisitive little hands. Someplace where I can work peacefully and if I need to, leave work laying out in order to finish it later. It was really a dream since there is no such place in our small home of 1100 sq. ft.

In my quest for a set-apart space for work, I enlisted the help of my brother to transform attic space into a studio for me to work in. I had a budget of $400 (which I had been saving back for years, just for something special) to work with and managed to nearly finish the room without going over budget too much. (I still have drywall to finish, trim to install and painting to do-all “lipstick and rouge” touch-ups.)

We have pull-down stairs for our attic right over the area designated “school room” so in theory should be a good working arrangement. My space is roughly 8’X10’ and now houses my sewing machine in addition to a nice 4 foot work bench. At Lowe's I found a 4 ft piece of white counter top marked down to five dollars. We were creative in getting that into our little car’s trunk space, but did manage to get it home in good condition. We previously purchased used cabinets from a friend who remodeled their kitchen and I used the drawer tower for the base of my workbench with the other end anchored to the wall. The entire workbench cost about $10-15 to make.

Two sets of short (think over the fridge) cabinets are stacked on top of each other to give me some storage space on one wall. I sourced used carpet from a friend who had an auction and the carpet didn’t sell. It’s in great condition and makes the room feel cozy and soft for my bare feet. Plus it was absolutely free.

I re-used a light fixture from our dining room, where we recently installed a hunter ceiling fan, bought on clearance of course!

I also found a custom window at Lowe's that was returned, original priced way beyond my budget, but clearance priced at $65 it was perfect and less expensive compared to smaller windows at regular price! Now I have a great source of natural light and an emergency exit if ever needed. I love this new window, easy to open, tilts in for easy cleaning and the screen is removable from the inside.

The major expense of the room was the lumber, then insulation and drywall. I had to purchase all of these items new and paid full retail for them. We insulated the room well since it is in the attic and it has made the room very comfortable without having to heat it this winter. I leave the pull-down stairs open about 8 inches and heat naturally rises to warm the room.

I pulled a small two shelved bookcase out of storage to use for my Doula lending library. This room is definitely a multi-purpose room; sewing, beading & jewelry making, scrapbooking and doula office.

Now that I have my separate work space, I’m beginning to feel some motivation and inspiration moving in. I’m feeling energized to get it stocked and organized in order to use it! Thus my journey to neat living & working has begun. I hope that you will follow me and offer your hints for keeping your home & workspace organized as inspiration to me and others along the way!

~Doula Brandi

“We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”

~anonymous