Keeping a clean house... with a baby

As far as I can remember, my mom has always cleaned the whole house every Friday.  She's really good at keeping things clean and tidy.  I, on the other hand, not so much.

Throughout college, my room was a mess with clothes all over the floor, and I would occasionally clean.  It's actually slightly disturbing to think about my college years, because I don't remember cleaning very often.

These days, it's a different story.  I love having a clean house, but it's difficult to get it that way, or keep it that way.  The culprit?

This was the first time she discovered how fun it is to pull out the DVDs, you know... back when it was still cute?  ;)

A 14 month old little girl.

It's really difficult at first to schedule your life around your baby.  Can I get an Amen??

That's what I had to do though.  After she was born, I was too exhausted to care about keeping the house clean.  What new mom has time for that?!  If she was sleeping, then I was either sleeping or doing something to make sure I stayed sane (enough).

Later on, I began to realize that I needed to make some changes if I wanted to have a clean house.  It was impossible to clean everything in one day, so I had to do some planning.

This is as tidy as it gets in this area... (on another note, do you think she has enough toys??)  ;)

Each day, I do at least one load of laundry as well as (at least) one big household chore.  This may be cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, dusting, mopping, whatever.  Of course, I still have to do the dishes, clean the kitchen, cook, etc. every day.  With this method, my house is never spotless, but at least it's clean!  No more of those days where I clean the house from top to bottom in a few hectic hours in preparation for visitors... that's just stressful!

If you've been around here long, you know about my planning board.  This idea has been a life-saver for me.  Now, I just write certain chores to do each day of the week, and then usually, by Friday, I have some spare time to do something fun!  :)

For example, here is my schedule for today:

• Wash Towels
• Vacuum
• Clean Dishwasher

Mommy's little 'helper'... see those cute little legs??

I've accomplished the first two things on my list, and I doubt I'll get to the last one, considering the dishwasher is full at the moment.  Since I've completed (most) of my list, I have time to do other things!  So, now I'm washing our comforter, working on a craft project, and blogging!  :)  It sure makes you feel good to accomplish the things on your to-do list at the end of the day!  

Does anybody else have some good tips??

Mission: Organize M's Closet

You know those superstar bloggers that do amazing makeovers to rooms in their homes?

Source - *sigh* If only....

I'm not one of them.  Sad.

Sometimes I find myself feeling a tiny bit depressed and jealous when I am browsing blogs and come across pictures of beautiful rooms.  I would LOVE to redecorate/redo just about every room in our house, but we're on a tight budget.  And, I have a 13 month old.  And, maybe I'm just not that gifted.  

Our precious house is (and most likely will be for the next several years) a fixer-upper.  Half of it was built in the 40's, so really, I can't complain too much.  It's in very good shape, just needs a little love.  :)  

(Gushing moment:  My husband is an AMAZING handy-man.  We could NOT have bought this house if the Lord hadn't have provided him with the knowledge he has!  He's done so much already.  I'm going to keep him.)  :)

Anyway, the main reason for this post is regarding my sweet girl's closet.  It's a disaster.  Seriously.  Right now it is doubling as a linen closet.  From too-small clothes, to her old car seat, towels, sheets, blankets, toys.... it looks awful.  

I've tried organizing it once, and I DID make it look a little better.... for a few days.  :(  I gave up halfway through the process.  So, this time, I want to have a game plan.

I was going to show you a picture of what her closet looks like right now, but then I chickened out.  If/when I get it looking better, THEN I'll post a before picture.  ;)

Here is my 'original artwork' of how I would ideally like to organize it.  Keep in mind, I'm trying to work with what I have, for the most part.

The gray section on the right side is actually behind the wall.

Step One:

We have to organize our storage closet out in the garage.  Then, I can take out all of the things in her closet that need to go into storage.  I think that will free up quite a bit of space and clutter.  

Step Two:

I need to make some kind of toy box for M.  Right now her toys are in a cardboard box.  One day, I bet my husband can make her a nicer one, but I'm fine with a cardboard box right now.  I just need to get a bigger, sturdier one (hello, jumbo size diaper box!) and somehow make it cute.  

Step Three: 

I'm not sure what all will be left after I move out stuff that needs to be stored, but I'd like to add a couple (or more) baskets to the top shelf to place miscellaneous items in.  We have a few baskets already, so hopefully they will do the trick there.

Step Four:

The towels are sitting on a rolling kind of shelves rack thingy.  They were all over the floor of the closet, so that is an improvement in itself!  On the right side of the closet are all of our sheets and blankets.  It's a mess over there.  Thankfully, you can't see it since it's hidden behind the wall.  I'm really not sure what the best solution for that is.  I'm thinking that maybe I can bat my eyelashes at my sweet hubby to fix our (tiny) linen closet.  That way, I can at least put the towels back in.  Then, maybe I can move the sheets to the rack.  

Step Five:

I have curtains (somewhere??) that I can hang up.  They're sheer, so I'm not sure how it will look, but again, it's what I have, so I think it will make it look a little nicer.

Source - This is similar to what I'm thinking about...

I think once (or if..) we get all of this done, it will looks TONS better!  Maybe we can begin to tackle it this weekend.  Stay tuned... ;)

Meal Planning

I'm in the process of finding the best way to buy groceries while staying in our budget.  I tried going once a month, which was super fun.  I LOVE getting a ton of groceries at one time.  :)  The down-side?  We run out of SOME things before it's time to go again.  Also, it's easy to spend more money than I need to when I shop that way.

So, now I'm trying going every two weeks.  I have a certain amount to spend on groceries, and then a little to spend on household items.  I HAVE to stay under a certain amount because I'm paying cash.  The only problem I see with this so far, is that there are going to be times when I run out of big things all at once, which is going to use up all my cash.  I'm not sure how to handle that yet, but it's a learning process I suppose.  :)

ANYWAY.

I'm going to share how I plan out meals in order to simplify my life a little bit.  :)  (I do NOT plan breakfast or lunch, because at this point at least, those are simple and easy.)

First, I go to my handy-dandy list of meal ideas.

Seriously.  WHY does it turn my pictures?  Grr.

 This is simply a list of supper ideas so I can just pick meals off of it and write them down on my monthly calendar.  I try to plan two weeks at a time.  (Obviously, I hadn't written anything down on here yet)  ;)

After I've planned out meals, then I check to see what I need to buy.  This helps me make sure that I only buy what I need for the next couple of weeks, which of course, keeps my grocery bill down (hopefully)!

More specifically, I want to share with you how I make meal preparation even EASIER.  We all want that, right?  I love to cook, but I also like things simple!

Since my family eats a lot of things with ground beef, I try to buy a family-size package.  It's pretty cheap for the amount of meals we can get out of it, which makes it a staple in our house!  We use it to make Hamburgers, Sloppy Joes, Meatloaf, Taco Meat, and Spaghetti.  I also lay aside a portion to use for baby food.

I always bought a big portion of beef, and then would split it into different bags to freeze until I needed it.  The problem with this, was that when I needed just a little bit for spaghetti, I had to thaw out a big portion of beef.  This was annoying.  So, here is what I do now!

Here's my 5 1/2 pounds or so of beef...

Now I separate it into sections, according to how much I need for a meal.  For example, I take a small portion and set it aside for spaghetti, or a large portion for meatloaf.

Then I take some freezer bags and label them with the meal I'll use that package of beef for and the date I freeze it.

Next, I place the beef in their 'assigned' bags, and flatten them out as much as I can.  This saves a LOT of freezer space!

This is such a simple process, but makes things SO much easier for me.  Now, when I see that we're having tacos the next day, I can just go ahead and take out the bag labeled 'taco meat' and let it thaw in the fridge overnight.  SO EASY!  I also do this with chicken, which is a little more involved, since it takes a while to cut up all of the chicken.  It is really worth that extra time in the long run though.

And again.

Anybody else have some good meal planning tips??  :)

Y'all have a fantabulous weekend!!

Future 'Big Girl' Room

To answer your first question--no, this is not a fun way of telling you that I'm expecting again.  I'm just planning ahead, because it's fun to think about!  :)

M has a Winnie-the-Pooh nursery, and I love it, because it's perfect for a girl OR boy, except for her pink curtains, of course.  I HAD to add as much pink as I could get away with in there.  ;)  I would have loved to go all out and do a girly nursery full of pink and purple butterflies, but I restrained myself and tried to be practical.  (Now watch us have all girls..)  ;)

My time is coming though... eventually Little Miss will need to move to her new big girl room, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't super excited about going all out with girly decor in her room!  These plans won't be carried out anytime soon, but I just want to share my ideas and plans with y'all.  Of course, what makes this slightly MORE interesting is that I'm trying to plan on a budget, because we can't exactly buy her brand new everything for her room.  So, we'll either be making most of these things or getting them online really cheap!  Craigslist will probably be our best friend when it comes to her furniture.  ;)

So, here are my thoughts... pink, pink and more pink.  Elegant pink though, not hot pink.  (I don't think my husband could handle that..)  Here is what I'm thinking about for her bedding.  I probably won't go with this bedding exactly, because it may not even be in stock by the time we get this going, but you'll get an idea of the style I'm looking for.  I actually have a different set in mind, but I'm keeping that one a secret, in case I decide to go ahead and get that one later on.  ;)

From Walmart

I have no plans for furniture, because I highly doubt that I will have the luxury of being picky about that, but I THINK I would like white or beige furniture, if I had my pick.  My big sis and I had that color furniture in our bedroom when we were little, and it's just so very girly.  :)  I DO know that I would like some super cute knobs to go on her dresser, like these below.  I probably won't get these unless I can find some really cheap ones, but they're just so cute!!  Plus, if you know me, I HAVE to have some butterflies in her room.  :)

You can find these knobs at Pottery Barn Kids

On the same note, I also love these hanging hooks!!

These can also be found at Pottery Barn Kids

I already have her curtains depending on what color her bedding is and if it will match.  I'm ALMOST done with her curtains!  Just have to finish the tie-backs and then I'll blog about that.  :)  (In case you don't know, these are her curtains BEFORE I gave them a makeover to fit her new windows)

I'm loving the whole organize-your-room-with-cute-baskets trend, like below.

You can find these baskets at babycribstore.com

For books, we have a bookshelf that we could move into her new room, or we could do something like this, which looks pretty easy and SUPER cute.  :)  It's made of fabric!!  How fun!!  

You can get a tutorial at the Penny Carnival blog

For a lamp or two, I want to get a couple of old ones and redecorate the shades with ruffles, like the one shown below.  Of course, I would use fabric to match her bedding.

Tutorial at Homemaker in Heels (Can you tell I'm obsessed with blogs??)

Just for the fun and cuteness of it, I might like to make a flower wreath like the one below.

From Blissful Meandering Blog

Also on her blog, I just saw this idea, and I totally want to do this!!!  How cute would these be?!

Blissful Meandering

I also am loving the idea of adding some chalkboard paint to the walls somewhere.  Maybe not a whole wall, but at least a small section??  It's just so cool!  Or, would that be a bad idea??  Would she start writing all over the rest of the walls?  Hmm.. I'll have to think more on this one. 

Last, but certainly not least, I have to add MORE butterflies to her room.  I don't know if I would go this route or not, but I also have some hanging butterflies that I can just pin to the wall.  We'll see!

Cutting Edge Stencils

Then, of course, I also have a few other things I would hang up, like her cross-stitch, which I'm SO close to being done with!  (forgive my sentence structure.)  Plus, I'm going to paint a scripture for her like I did earlier for my precious nephew (I need to see him again!).  :)

So, those are my plans.  Can you tell that I've put WAY too much thought into this?  I tend to be a little obsessive when I get excited about something.  Now, the trick will be keeping all these ideas for when we actually make a new room for her down the road.  Remind me of all these things later, kay?  ;)

Have a fabulous weekend!!  :)

Link Party List HERE :)

Home Management Notebook

UPDATE:  I have made a few alterations, and am slowly making these files available to purchase in my Etsy shop.

I have a coupon for 50% Off every item until March 31, 2014.  The code is GRANDOPENING.

I have dropped the prices on everything!  Prices range from $.99-$2.99. 

Click HERE for the Cleaning Checklist.  :)
Click HERE for the Meal Planning and Budgeting Set.
Click HERE for the Medical Contact Sheet.

As I was 'stalking' blogs the other day, I came across the IHeart Organizing blog, and found this super cute idea!!  It's a way to organize tasks and other information in/about your home, and I decided I wanted to make my own notebook.  I've mentioned a few times how much I want to be organized, but I ultimately fail.  It's just not a natural part of my personality, but I'm working on it, only to make my life a little easier, not to mention keeping the house cleaner!  ;)

I decided to make all of my pages on paint.net, which is a free program you can download.  I don't know half of the things I can do on there yet, but I LOVE it!  SO much better than using the old paint program that's on every computer.  ;)

Allow me to show you how super cute (in my own, humble opinion, that is...) our family notebook turned out!  :)

I still have a couple (or more, we'll see!) pages to add, but you'll get the main idea.  ;)  First I have a "Cleaning Checklist" sheet.  It has things for me to complete daily, weekly, monthly and annually.  I laminated it so I can just check things off if I'd like.  I think it will be helpful.  :)

To purchase this cleaning checklist, or have it customized to fit your needs, please check out my Etsy Shop--FairyTinkBoutique.

Then I wrote down a list of meal ideas as well as side dishes.

Why does it turn my pictures?! :(

Across the page I have my "May" meal planning calendar.  Now I can look at my list of meals to get ideas and write them down on my monthly calendar.  I try to plan out every couple of weeks or so, to make sure that I have everything I need for our meals.  Plus, it sure does take the stress out of thinking of what to make for supper!  I'll still use my planning board though--I LOVE that thing!  (I just realized a mistake I made.... I laminated my calendar so I could use dry/erase markers, but it says "May" at the top, so I can't use it every month...ptth)  Well, I guess from now on I'll either just print out a calendar for each month to place in a page protector, or print out a blank one to fill out each month.  I'll probably just go the first route.  ;)

Now that I have planned out my meals, I have a grocery list, along with a list for other items I need to buy.  I'll be honest here and say that I'll probably print out future grocery list pages in black and white, but it's so pretty like this!  ;)

Next I have a list of doctor's numbers as well as insurance information.  Now when I'm on the phone with my doctor and they ask for my insurance info, it's all in one spot.  :)  (After all, it's SUCH a chore to go get my card out of my wallet...*sigh*)  ;)

I'm also working on an emergency contact list, which includes the local hospital, poison control number (?), family phone numbers as well as neighbors' numbers.  I think this would mainly be helpful if somebody was babysitting for us and needed to contact us while we're out.

Here are my 'fun' pages!  I have a list to write down craft ideas as well as things I want/need to organize.  This may seem pointless to some, but there have been several times that I've had an idea and then forgot about it when I had time to do it!  So now, that problem is fixed.  :)

The next page is mainly for my hubby.  We have an old house, so we have a lot to fix up!  Note that I made this page slightly more manly with the darker colors, although the little hearts that dot the 'i's probably take all of the manliness away, oh well.  (Not that I don't love blue too!) ;)

The last page I have finished is my travel list.  EVERY time we go somewhere overnight, I make a list of my things as well as M's things to pack.  I always over-pack, but that's beside the point.  I just want to make sure I take everything we need.  Since a lot of my list is the same each time, I went ahead and typed up a few things.  I also left space to write down the rest of my list whenever we go places.  :)

I'm working on a budget sheet as well, but y'all don't need to see that one.  ;)  I may add more pages when I think of things, who knows?  It was really fun to make, so we'll see how useful it is over time!  I'll be testing out the meal planning/grocery list system tonight.  (I have never enjoyed grocery shopping as much as I do now that I'm a stay-at-home mom, can I get an amen??)

Y'all have a fabulous day!!  :)

Linking up to THESE parties  :)