Happy Mothers Day

Today has been a good day. I think the best thing has been that it has been just like every other
Sunday where we just hang out and relax. My family didn't go out of their way to make it over the top. Extra hugs and the kids are better about doing things the first time I ask, but I like that all of our relaxing Sundays feel like Mothers Day!

Mothers day is tough for me, I no longer have a relationship with my mom and yet she is still in my life. My little sister has been raised by her dad which is my step-dad and my family. She is 16 and one of my best friends! I seriously don't know what I would do without her! And I am so very proud of the Lady she is growing up to be. I know today is hard for her and I understand.

I have been super busy organizing my life! I will have pictures to come soon. I have been going through everything!! If I don't have a place for it, I either find a place or I donate it. I have been organizing my totes and putting vinyl on them to mark what is in each of them. I am not finished but already feel so much better!

What I am doing is not just organizing and cleaning but this process is very emotional too. I was raised by a mother who believes heavily in retail therapy.Usually yard sale, flea market, antique store, retail therapy. Always with the intention of  "resale" which never seemed to happen. The salt and pepper shakers, sugar containers, plates, bowls, knick knacks all added up until she just couldn't take it anymore and she left.

I know that hoarding is not genetic - but even the small amount of stuff that my household has been holding onto has become oppressive. It makes me physically ill and I find myself shutting down. I made a decision about two weeks ago to do something about it!

Last week we cleaned out our storage unit and what a relief that was!! It was just a great feeling to take a full truck load to the donation trailer and fill a dumpster with stuff. Stuff I no longer had to hold onto just because I at one time payed money for it so it must be worth money now. Or because I could resell it in a yard sale or at a booth in the flea market - which I never do because I don't like to! But my mom did! ugh!

I am not my mother. I would never willingly leave my children! I will not keep things I no longer need. I will no longer engage in retail therapy where I buy things I do not need to make me feel better at the time. I will finish this project! Happy Mothers Day!

My "new" fruit room

We have this dark hole under our kitchen. It has narrow little stairs,you have to go outside to access the door, the walls are made of stone. the shelves are put together with scraps. IT IS FULL OF SPIDERS! Needless to say we have lived in our house for over 4 years and I have never used the room!

I started couponing and I have started to amass quite a collection of free items and "stock"  I started with a shelf that I bought at Target. It has five shelves on it. It filled up very quickly with baby items, cleaners, toiletries, etc...

Sunday night my Husband, wonderful man that he is, helped me clean the dungeon fruit room. and I filled it it with goods!! and I have room to spare - although not much!

My husband then took that black shelf and cut it down so we could fit it in the fruit room. I now have a place for all my paint! It won't get to hot in the summer in the garage, or freeze  in the winter. It will be all organized! Now I just have to pack it all down there! :)

Here are some pictures of my fruit room that I like now. Thank you husband! Best Easter gift ever!

Coupon Organization

I started "couponing" last summer and I have been trying to find something that holds ALL my coupons - yesterday on a little trip to "town" I found it!

 It has 19 pockets, is long enough to hold coupons without folding them and I think it's pretty too!

I made a list of how I seperate my coupons

Then I made labels! Now off I go to fill it with savings!

Getting caught up.

I am currently cleaning out my craft/office room, garage, laundry room and I have some serious Spring Fever. The last two weeks I have spent in the car - Dr appointments, meeting after meeting, running the kids to appointments, and when I didn't HAVE to go somewhere - I did NOTHING. So now I am cleaning looking at projects. The Husband and I went out in the backyard and went over plans for laying railroad ties and filling spots with fill dirt.
I just confirmed the kids are going to Grandmas for Spring Break! How I love my Mother-In-Law! I have plans for some board and batten, painting and I am sure lots of working late!
I should have some photos tomorrow!

Home Management Binder

I am participating in A bowl full of lemons weekly organization challenge and Week #1 is the home management binder.

I worked on it over the weekend and this is what I came up with:

 I bought the binder at Office Max and I can't wait to dust off my vinyl cutter and fancy it up!

The inside pocket will hold the "right now" paperwork. The first page is a fabulous quote that I will share with you in another post.

My tabs are just post it notes stuck on because I wanted to be able to move things around if I didn't like the order and I am glad I did it that way because I want to move "Finances" up.

Currently I have the following tabs:

To Do

Finances

Calendar

Cleaning 

Menu Planning

School

Contacts

Vacation

RevvNRG (a business of ours)

I have a few open places just in case I need to add

Medical is a little different - Each member has a sheet protector with a copy of his/her birth certificate and social security card ( I actually made a few copies of the card and the certificate together and put 4 copies for each person) Then in each sheet protector goes their immunization card, health insurance card, dental insurance card and military ID card (for our kids)

A few of these sections will take me a little while to get used to. The cleaning list section I am thinking of laminating a few lists so the kids can take a list for a room and go to town cleaning!

The menu planning is empty right now, but I really like the system my friend Peggy uses. I tried it before and it really was easy and worked so I am going to try that again. I will share when I find something that works!

I am super excited that my important stuff is now all together! Now whatever doesn't go in the binder will need to be filed - THAT is a whole other post for sure! But I am pleased my desk piles are now cleared!

This is my 2011 resolutions and they go something like this:
#1 Purge and organize house & business so that there is more time to enjoy life
#2 Get Fit - excercise regularly, eat better, continue to drink more water (I just recently stopped drinking soda!!) My ideal weight is 125 - I am currently (I can't believe I am gonna post this!) 188 so my goal is to lose 63 pounds!
#3 Get financially fit.

I am going to go work on some spreadsheets for my binder now! Happy Monday!

Need organization now....

I feel like a thirsty person, trudging through the desert under the hot sun...."need organization." huff puff, dry mouth... "need organization now"

this is my desk at work: (one of them)

See that pile of paperwork on the right hand corner? My husbands military schedule is in there somewhere. Also in that pile: receipts - personal and business, coupons, these cute little lunchbox notes that I really want to cut out and put in my kids lunches, Bills, tax paperwork, registration stickers for our motorcycles, (I am facebooking my aunt for her mailing address that she has given me at least three times already!) and this cool 2011 Resolution packet that I printed off from : http://www.howdoesshe.com/how-to-set-achievable-goals 

I actually filled it out last night COMPLETELY!  My number 1 goal : GET ORGANIZED!!

Here is my other desk:

I can't even begin to tell you what this stuff is, I'm too embarrased.

A little bit about WHY I want to be more organized. The paperwork is killing me! I look at my piles and just shut down!
These are the "hats that I wear":

MOM

Wife

Business owner (currently own & run 3 of them)

Sec. Chamber of Commerce

Director Library Board

Treasurer of local Youth Athletics

Director of Baseball Ages 4-15

I have 2 grade school aged kids that are both very active: Football, dance, baseball, boy scouts etc.

I have a 15 year old sister that is like my first child. She is very active and we love to go to movies, concerts, and shopping of course!

I have a Step-son who lives in Utah. He will be 18 this month and is making us Grandparents in August! (that is a whole other post blog!)

My husband and I run our 8-6 Monday through Friday Business together. So I work full time, but have the advantage of being the boss which allows me to make my own schedule. Down fall: I can sit and blog all day and not actually work because I am the BOSS!

My husband is also in the Military.

We LOVE to travel - so that makes me the Travel Agent

I plan all parties and events - Event Planner

I pay all the bills and do all of the budgeting.

I have a lot on my plate and right now it is all in one big heap! I like my paperwork just like the food on my plate - all seperated into neat little piles!

So I have decided to link up to a bowl full of lemons and commit to her weekly challenges. #1 is the Family/Home binder which I plan on putting together this weekend while the hubs is working for Uncle Sam.

Have a Wonderful weekend and Thanks for Stopping by!