May challenge – Day 7 – Laundry

May7

Our laundry is one of those places in our house that is never tidy. There are piles in there everywhere. I use to have the washing sooo under control. These days I would rather spend time with the kids than sorting washing and laundry.

Very slowly we are putting some systems back in place, like with our school uniforms.

I am completing this task on day 8 & I am happy to say a medium bag of used bottles, sprays, sock clips?, old sponges, rags as well as washing to be done was all cleared out of the laundry.

The floor was vacuumed in there and I even set the steam mop onto it with some wonderful clove oil in the water. You cant quite see but the floor was the new floorobe from our bedroom.

I would love to redesign my laundry, with a folding bench and more usable cupboard spaces. The cupboard under the sink is never used, as is the top shelf in my high cupboard as it is too high.. I think I might have a play on the Bunnings laundry planner, as it is free to dream.

But as of now my laundry is cleaned and sorted for another day, my washing is catching up and Day 7 is now complete.

How does your laundry look?

May challenge – Day 3 – Kitchen bench

May3

I dont know about in your house but in ours we have shortened or bench and yet it still has this magnetic force on it that makes everything get drawn to it. Books, homework, magazines, containers, hair ties, drinking cups… Infact anything..

All of these things already have their own homes but have escaped to make our breakfast bar completely full and unable to be used. It seems sooo much easier to dump things there and to put them away. We are all guilty of this..

A quick collection and re group and things are returned to place and the bench can even be wiped down.

It is much nicer to now walk in, clear out the front, sorted entrance and a fresh cleared bench.

I once again had a small bag that I tossed with random unwanted papers.
I sorted so bills to be filed.
Pens into the drawer.
Toys in the right rooms.
School notices on our notice board and calendar inside my pantry.
Brushes and hair ties to the bathroom.

How did you go finding 1 thing to toss today? What did you toss?

May challenge – Day 2 – Entrance area

May2

At the moment I have had a collection area where we have been putting clothes that Miss 7 & I have been sorting. She is at a change over age and so this pile at the moment grows fast. She has been given a variety of clothes, some sligtly bigger but she loves them all and wants to wear them NOW!! So because of this the area at our entrance has gone ferral.

I also have a shoe cabinet there but it also isnt holding the shoes in it, they seem to of escaped.

This is the Old look of this same area 12 months ago..

I must say it makes a difference now having a tidied front.
A cleaned off door mat.
A tidy organised entrance.

I have tossed from here
A bag of clothes to pass on
A dance outfit to pass onto a girl in our sons class to encourage her to dance
A bag of crap?
I have put all my recipe books together in a plastic box(need to sort them and find a new home)
I have a place for our caps, in the box on the floor
I also tossed a couple of pairs of shoes
I vacuumed up gallion dead flying ants

What did you de clutter today?

May Challenge Master List

May1

For all of you joining me this May and tossing, de cluttering, gifting, what ever it is with 1 item a day aiming for 31 less items at the end of May.
Here is the master list to keep you on track.

My My Challenge

Day 1 – Out side your front door, porch area

Day 2 – Entrance area

Day 3 – Kitchen bench

Day 4 – Utensil Drawer

Day 5 – Plastics Drawer

Day 6 – Option day – Pantry or Kitchen Cupboards

Day 7 – Laundry

Day 7 – Toys

Day 8 – Linen cupboard

Aprils Organize-athon FULL LIST

Apr30

Complete List For Michele Connolly Organize-athon

Day 1 – Declutter Your Living Area

Day 2 – Clear Out Your Hanging Closet – Post Done posted on Blog

Day 3 – Organise Your Kitchen Utensils

Day 4 – Declutter Your Bathroom Cabinets

Day 5 – Organise Your Household Information Centre

Day 6 – Freshen Up Your Crockery & Glassware

Day 7 – Organise Your Books, DVD’s and/or CD’s

Up until here have been blogged and commented on blog to her.

Day 8 – Organise Your Linen Closet – Post Done Posted on blog

Day 9 – Organise Your Laundry – Post Done posted on blog

Day 10 – Organise Your Garage Post done posted on blog

Day 11 – Organise Your Shoes – Post Done posted on blog

Day 12- Declutter your Car’s Glove Box – Post done posted on blog

Day 13 – Organise your Pots, Pans & Cookware – Post done posted on blog

Day 14 – Organise your Paperwork – Post done posted on blog

Day 15 – Declutter your Home Office – Post done posted on blog

Day 16 – Orgainse your Underwear – Post done posted on blog

Day 17 – Declutter the Kids Toys – post done posted on blog

Day 18 – Organise your Storage Containers – Post done – Posted on blog

Day 19 – Organise your Out going Space – Post Done Posted on blog

Day 20 – Organise your Fridge – Post done – Posted on Blog

Day 21 – Organise your Pantry – Post done – Posted on Blog

Day 22 – Declutter your Bag – Post done – posted on blog

Day 23 – Organise your Goals – Post Done posted on blog

Day 24 – Organise your Bedside Area – Post Done Posted on blog

Day 25 – Declutter your Surfaces – Post Done POsted to blog

Day 26 – Declutter your Excerise & Sporting Equipment – Post done Posted to Blog

Day 27 – Declutter by Donating a Dozen – Post done posted to blog

Day 28 – Organise your Grooming Supplies Post Done Posted to Blog

Day 29 – Get Organised – Mindset Swift #1 Adopt OCI-OGO – Post Done Posted on blog

Day 30 – Get Organized Mindset Shift #2: Make It A Habit To Avoid Clutter Post Done Posted on Blog

Day 29 – 30×5 Organize-athon

Apr29

Day 29 Get Organised – Mindset Shift #1 Adopt OCI-OGO

I have always thought that being sorted is just something that people are either born to do or they dont. Kind of like you cant teach and old dog new tricks, but at the start of the year I know I keep talking about this BUT my Mind shifted.

I was even talking about this with someone yesterday. My change in mindset. Starting from the absolute, complete, devastation of the floods in southern Queensland. How people lost everything with out a chance to think. After then packing up a bunch of things to donate to them.

Toys
Kids Clothes
My Clothes
Sheets & Towels

I didnt miss a single thing!!! Then our own cyclone came. It really was about keeping our entire family safe nothing about what we had. We were willing in the worst case, to of lost all and to still have the comfort of each & every family member to hug and rebuild with..

Since then I have lost my shopping bug (mind you this has SAVED me LOADS of $$) Each time I go to buy something I think twice about the use of it and the reason to be buying it. In most cases I am now only buying the things that are truly needed. I do think I use to Shop as a Hobby – so maybe changing to blogging has been a really great thing – as it keeps me at home & saves me money 😉

With a change in mindset you need to ensure that you have a constant reminder to keep on top of things otherwise it is so easy to retreat back to where you were…

But very very slowly I am GETTING SORTED !! Each Day As It Comes – I am one more step closer and I hope you are also ?

Day 28 – 30×5 Organize-athon

Apr28

The last doing day of this Challenge is Day 28 – Organise your Grooming Supplies

When doing my bathroom drawers I did infact make sure I did the entire lot. The 3 drawers and the cupboard to the side. All supplies were sorted, tossed and thinned out. This is all still in a lovely orderly manner HOWEVER it is the top of the vanity that gets OUT OF CONTROL.

I need to practic each morning just stopping, placing things away and clearing off this space.

This doesnt take long but I still seem to be on the run and just leave things where they drop….

What do your Grooming Supplies look like?

Day 27 – 30×5 Organize-athon

Apr27

Declutter by Donating a Dozen – WOW – was that a Dozen Bags..?? Day 27

I have this crazy area that is almost as bad as the garage. It is in the corner of our back room. Things got dumped here when I changed around the kids rooms – as DS’s room was the study. Well this is what it would have been written as on a floor plan but in reality it was one HUGE JUNK room, full of clutter, mayhem and complete disorganisation. You would walk in there and not EVER be able to find ANYTHING at all. Infact any time you even went in there what ever you were doing or had in your hand then disappeared into the void.

So I knew in a flash that I could get a dozen items from this area. Well I did more than 5 minutes but still have many more minutes to go, maybe 50 x 5 will get this area finished.

4 HUGE stand up bags later
3 Boxes full

Some things to Donate but I am not working on Donate side of it more the toss out side of it. I have had things to donate before and they stay at the front door or infect the car. They never get to where they are meant to be moving to. It is a nice feeling to look at things and thing NOPE NOPE NOPE !!

I have now at least slightly thinned the clutter that I can go back to and spend more time in detail organising.

I was excited to take on this area and was even more excited to not think twice about what was going. To be moving fast with no second thoughts. OUT !! I still have a long way to go but I can start to see the light and I am starting to think that it is not a train any more lost in the clutter but a ray of sunshine brightening up the house since the windows have been cleaned !!

I have some great before and after shots of this area I will try to load up in time before tomorrows end.

Did you find a Dozen Things to Donate??

Day 26 – 30×5 Organize-athon

Apr26

Day 26 Declutter your Exercise & Sporting Equipment

I am sure I have said to you all before I am a great starter ………

DH sums me up like this – I WANT A BIKE – then I need

a new helmet
cycling shoes
cycling clothes
new drink bottle
seat for the kids
a trailer for the kids
bike rack for the car
maybe even a new ipod to listen to when riding the bike

Once I have brought everything and more possible to even think about riding the bike I then stop this fad & ALL of these things will sit in the corner and never be used.

As for exercise equipment – I have got better with time. I now do dancing and have done for over 12 months. All I need for this is the dancing shoes and I do have dancing clothes. So my sports equipment is pretty limited these days and very organised.

I did find though when sorting the videos a FULL collection of fitness tapes to toss out. I had SOOO many …

Tai Chi
Yoga
Pump
Super Tummies

I am still cuddly with a well fed keg rather than a 6 pack and toned & I am far from the relaxed mind of a stressless life… So these didnt work very well did they 😉

What sports equipment do you have to sort ?

Day 25 – 30×5 Organize-athon

Apr25

Declutter your Surfaces – Day 25

Any flat surface in our house gains this EXTREME magnetic super powers that attracts anything & everything to it. Almost the strength of a Super Hero them self. DH LOVES clear benches – infact his Perfect Way to clear the bench ( which he has done ONCE – only ever ONCE !!) was to get a garbage bag and drag his arm along the bench pushing EVERYTHING off the bench and into the bin… GONE !!!! I was Not Happy that day !!!

Back to the benches

A clear bench today – tomorrow it has things on it
A clean vacced and mopped floor – gets walked on in grass mowings
A clean sparkly sink – has visitors come over for a HUGE cook up
A clean bathroom vanity – gets glitter and make up all over it from a dance concert

As part of my Weekly Plan I have put to wipe down benches. I am also going to post about the FlyLady idea of Swish & Swipe.. Cleaning off the bathroom each morning or evening so that it is done as you go.

I am trying very very hard to ensure that everything that is placed on the following surfaces