40 bags update

what i did this week:

-linen closet

-upstairs bathroom

-my clothes

i love not having a lot of stuff on the counter in the bathrooms...less to move and clean!

1.  i went through all of the medications and toiletries, threw out any of them that we didn't use or were old. 
2.  threw away any nail polish that was old and thick
3.  got rid of some old beach towels...they were so thin and ugly as well.
4. wiped out all of the drawers in the bathroom.  there is not much up there, because the girls use this bathroom, but it does get gross still.
5.  got rid of anything in my closet and dresser that i have not put on in a year.  and i ended up with 2 empty drawers....how awesome is that?  i LOVE it!
6.  i hate storing things under our bed...i feel like we live in a college dorm if that stuff under there!  so, i took everything from under our bed and found a new home for it. 

up next:
-living room bookshelves and cabinets
-dining room
-front closet

 here are a few blog friends who are doing 40 bags:
sarah has shared some great tips for tackling this project over at clover lane
sara at august fields
simple mom is doing project: simplify, which is really cool as well

please let me know if you are doing 40 bags, i would love to see your progress.
happy spring cleaning...wishing and hoping spring will come soon!

40 bags update!

i am so happy i am doing this again this year!  40 bags in 40 days is such an easy way to de-clutter your house!  i must have done a lot of purging last year, because this year i don't feel like i have as much to purge, so  i am not sure if i will get to 40 bags, but that is okay.  it feels so good to get rid of stuff that we are not using and have no use for anymore!

a few weeks ago i picked up the GORM shelving at ikea and i have to say I LOVE it.  it was pretty easy to put together, but took a little bit longer then we thought.  if i had more storage room i would buy more, because you can just keep adding on to each shelving unit! i also picked up some new storage boxes they are the SAMLA and come in a few different sizes.  the 3 and 6 gallon are great and fit perfect on the GORM shelving.

looked forever trying to find a before...i don't have one, sorry.
but, here is what it looks like now and i LOVE it:

and a close up of the SAMLA boxes (3 gallon size)

total bags = 10

my lent goals this year are:

40 bags in 40 days

no snacking between meals

daily prayer in the morning with or without the girls

do you have any lent goals?

thursday tip = 40 bags in 40 days!

one quick update for the shop...the 25% off sale is still going on.  i am not sure how long prices will be this low, so get any cute goodies while you can!

i am doing it again this year.  during lent, i will be cleaning out this house and i can't wait!  if you want to read more about what 40 bags is all about check out this post from last year or visit sarah over at clover lane...i wish i could meet her in person, she is just such a sweetheart!

i have started to make my list and i can't wait to get started on it.  the first area that i am going to tackle is a small storage closet in the basement.  it has been a mess for months and it is driving me nuts!  we are in the process of having a new cabinet built in our kitchen...a pantry!  oh, i have i waited for this day for so long. it will match the rest of my cabinets and i can't wait to organize it!

for the small storage closet, i am thinking of getting these GORM units from ikea!  i would love to have a space that looks like this!

so i think i will be heading to ikea really soon!  i am making my list right now of what i need to look for. 

my next area to focus on is the storage area in our garage.  thank goodness we have a huge upstairs area in our garage for storage, because if we didn't, i have no idea where i would put the holiday decorations, baby things, patio furniture, etc.  this is what that storage space looked like after last year's 40 bags project:

 and the other side:

i wish it looked like this now, but it does not.  and i have a lot of baby things to get rid of!

i have already started my 40 bags and i have gotten rid of 4 bags of stuff!
will you join me in 40 bags in 40 days?

please let me know!

two little tots: a tip today!

since my new day job is the courtroom these days and the shop is slow...i thought i would share a tip.  something that i remembered now that i am 'working' kind of again!!!

 apples...that is my tip for today!

when i was a trainer at target, i would always have a few apples for afternoon training classes...

they work for that little mid-afternoon pick me up!

really...they do!

they are a little sweet, juicy and crunchy...and give you that little energy to make it 

the rest of the day!

so grab an apple when that mid-afternoon sleepiness sets in!

thursday tip...being silly!

the girls love to dance...i mean love to dance...like crazy!

so with me trying to live in the moment, in the now, 

we have been dancing a lot around here...

just being

silly

so my tip today...is go with it, be silly, dance like crazy and your kids will love you for it...and you will love them more for it too!

here are some cute pictures of mara...dancing to 'all the single ladies' and they love watching her dance too...and trying to copy her moves...oh, i wish i could copy her moves too!

and my favorite move...where she shakes her hand and sings...'if you like then shoulda put a ring on it'.  mara shaking her hand too!

what are you going to do today to live in the moment?

anything silly?

thursday tip: cleaning zones & life

this summer is coming to a close this weekend...sad!  but, my body is ready for the change of seasons...i can feel it in my blood.  i don't want the cold, cold, mn winter to come...that could just pass us by and i would be happy.  but, i do love fall and the cooler nights, the colors and just the sense of seasons changing...life changes too.

this summer has been hard, because the girls stopped taking their naps for the most part.  and if they did take one...it was for about an hour.  in an hour, i don't get much done, include cleaning my house.  so i had to switch things up a bit around here and try...

cleaning zones

it was pretty easy, since my house is three levels, so i broke out each level into a 'zone'.

zone 1:  

basement, which includes a bathroom

zone 2:  

main floor, which has the kitchen

zone 3: 

 upstairs, bedrooms & another bathroom

each zone has a room that takes a little bit longer then the rest, so i started in that room...for example zone 1...the bathroom is the worst!  so, i would start in there to make sure i got it finished!  i gave myself about an hour or a little more to get whatever zone i was cleaning that day done.  some days i didn't finish, but that was okay.  getting a little done was better then having a messy house.

 i had to give up having a totally clean house in 3 hours and it all done in one day and focus on just getting each zone cleaned and being done in 3 days!  it worked.  i don't love it, but it worked, so that is why i am sharing it with you.

now with the seasons changing, my cleaning is going to change as well...mostly because school starts next thursday...which leads me to just life!

i have BIG girls now!  i don't think it hit me until tonight at their open house.  they have a real classroom, where they will talk about what day it is, what tomorrow is, what the weather is...crazy!  and a 'star' each with...how cute is that?

i didn't get a lot of great pictures, but a few...i love that they have their own little cubby for their paperwork...so, so cute!

i wish these was more in focus!

and playing.  their good friend eli will be in class with them, which i think

will make the first day of school a little bit easier on them both.

 (another not so great picture!)

 this is the first time that their bbf's s&o will not be in their class. they are going to

a different pre-school.  we will still see them lots and at music class, but it will

be different without them!

the long weekend is almost here...doing anything fun?

we are...more to come on that!

thursday tip = managing time

the past few months have been crazy busy...with my dad passing away, vacation, sickness and just life!  i feel like everyday i tell todd i wish i had a few more hours in the day...my to do list is never ending and i am falling more and more behind.

so how do i manage my time and try to get the bulk of my 'to do' list done everyday....my planner!!!  I LOVE IT!!!  i am a list girl...I love making list and checking things off...it makes me feel so good!


i know i posted about my loving Russell & Hazel planner before...check out this post, but I will go into a little more detail about how I have it all organized today!

 i have planner pages that i have broken out by morning, nap time, errands, 365 picture, calls/emails, blog post and two little tots stuff.  i love how the pages are custom to my needs.  i don't use them everyday, but i think i need to start doing it again.  i know what i have to do everyday, but i really need to focus on the 'must get done today'.  Simple Mom has this wonderful page called the 'Daily Docket' that I think I might start using as well...I LOVE her MIT...three most important things to do today. 


this is what my monthly calendar looks like...i try to write down the topics i am going to blog about, so i don't forget and i can get lots of posts done in a day!  i try to take one day early in the week to write all of my posts.  

and i have wonderful two little tot pages to write all of my great ideas, orders, etc.  thanks to lelan for making these for me...I LOVE THEM!

i would love to hear your time management tips...i am always looking for new ones. 

on another note, if you have not checked to see if your children's motrin or tylenol is recalled, it is so easy to do!
just go to this web site and put in the NDC code found on the front of the bottle.  i did it this week...and thank goodness, they were not part of the recall, since both bottles are almost gone!


almost the weekend...YAY!!!  we need the sun to come back out again, this rain is the worst!