Ravin Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm not waiting until November, either. I just put three grocery bags full of books, clothing, and toys into the car to take to the donation center. My goal is to have cleared the whole house by Thanksgiving. Mine too. I've started Christmas shopping planning already (record early for me :lol:), and I really want to enjoy the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas instead of feeling stressed and under the gun the whole time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm in! I'm not waiting till November, either! To those of you who feel overwhelmed, I totally understand!!! I've been there more than I care to remember. The key is to focus on one area or one room or one task (cleaning the fridge, a closet, whatever) and do NOT beat yourself up about the long list ahead of you. Baby steps, baby steps! Celebrate your accomplishments. Make a list for the day, one that is reasonable, and if you get your list done that day--hopefully with the help of your family--take a break. Drink hot cocoa, go to the park, watch a favorite show, play a game with the kids, whatever. Then the next day repeat. If you work on it every day, you will get there!!! I did not read the whole thread, but I could really relate to those of you who said they spent more time and energy planning than they did executing the plan. Reading organizing books, frittering away time online, making complicated lists and plans, will NOT HELP you get your house clean. Ask me how I know. LOL You need a simple system, maybe a small notebook with a list of to-do's for each day. You need to get off the computer. I have never felt a sense of accomplishment after browsing around Pinterest, but I have after cleaning a bathroom or organizing a closet. ;) Just do it! Lots of good advice :D I'm making a detailed list per room, and then I'll just cross off each item as I complete it. That way I'll also have an easy-access list of both big and small jobs to fit into any time slot. At least, that's my plan! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Okay, I'm ready to commit! :tongue_smilie: Classroom: -big cupboard under computer -stack of papers on desk sorted away -red cabinet -closet -art shelves Library: -put away all books -frightening mess under the stairs Kitchen: -fridge inside and out -blinds Garage: -clean out -buy shelf to reorganize homeschooling bins Misc: -record shelf -game cupboards -walls, doors, door jams -windows and mirrors The last time I did a WTM cleaning challenge I did pretty good... I'm ready to purge, purge, PURGE!!! I'll post updates as finish each task. Good luck ladies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Well I never got to my closet today but I tackled an extremely difficult challenge with the kids. Between the 4 of them they have over 200 webkinz and other stuffies. I made them chose 13 to keep today. I rescued 1 each for them from the donate pile. Then I gave them a chance to trade other toys to donate in exchange for keeping the other webkinz. In the end we are donating 50 match box cars, 3 large little pet shop centers, all the army guys and 50 webkinz and stuffies to the church for the fishing pond at the halloween party. I also ended up with 3 good quality large toys I can sell to make some xmas money. The kids feel they were heard about their webkinz but they were drastically culled. It took almost 4 hours to complete that process but all 4 feel good about it. They challenged me in turn to sort out 1 bookcase. For me books are like their webkinz, highly coveted and seldom culled. But I did manage to donate 20 from the case in my room and while sorting them it turned out I had 2 copies of the one the kids needed to read next in their lit class (Plato's Apology and Euthyphro...only a classical homeschooler would actually have 2 copies of those sitting on the bookcase lol...so far antigone is the only title they read that I didn't own). So that feels pretty good. And I hauled the broken bed frame out of my room (it had been being propped up with books but really needed to go. Tomorrow we are gone to the city but I hope to work on that closet once we are home again. My list is extremely large and includes finishing my renovation(that part by xmas) so I am glad I am starting now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuzu822 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I've started too. Just finished putting away summer shoes and tossed the holey rain boots. I reorganized winter wear to see what (if anything) the boys need. I have some extras to donate, and everything is packed back into its bin in the basement (summer) or put into the basket in the coat closet for easy access (hats, mittens, wool socks). I'm not sure I'll have a chance to tackle more today once school and piano lessons are done, but I'm glad that chore is done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thessa516 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I've already started, as well. I'm putting a new closet system in the kids' room. Everything came out, was sorted, and only keepers are making their way back into the closet. I also threw out a broken fax machine and bread maker. Why did I put those in the basement instead of just throwing them away when they broke? :001_huh: I have a trunk full ready to be dropped off at the donation site this morning! The thing I'm most excited about is my kitchen. I decluttered my (extremely tiny) kitchen pantry cabinet. I moved most of the stuff to my basement pantry, keeping only my daily-use items in the kitchen. I then organized the remaining space to hold small bins for each day of the week - sort of like this picture from Better Homes & Gardens. I labelled my bins for each day of the week. When I went grocery shopping, it was so easy to put things away. For example, the box of pasta went into the Thursday bin because we're having Chicken Parmesan. For my bulk items, like rice, I measured out how much I will need, put into a smaller container, and placed it into the appropriate day bin. Reorganizing my kitchen in this manner makes so much sense for me. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waa510 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm in, but definitely starting now. I'm still getting used to regularly decluttering. Before, we'd just naturally do it to prepare for our constant moves. We've been here for almost 3 years and the stuff is piling up! I've only cleaned out two rooms so far and already have a whole trunkful to donate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Year Round Mom Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 okay so how many minutes a day for JUST this challenge *dont forget your regularly scheduled cleaning, homeschooling, cooking, life!* do you think I should plan on? What is everyone comfortable with? 20 minutes minimum, and you can go for longer if you want? 30? 10? 20 min with a bonus 10 min task if someone's on a roll? That feels totally doable to me. Thanks for doing this!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 20 min with a bonus 10 min task if someone's on a roll? That feels totally doable to me. Thanks for doing this!!!! That sounds good to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 That sounds good to me. okay so 20 minutes per day with an extra 10 minutes bonus. Dont overdo yourself because then you wont be able to last all month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 okay so 20 minutes per day with an extra 10 minutes bonus. Dont overdo yourself because then you wont be able to last all month! Excellent point, because that's usually my downfall! Well, that and the fact that I spend so much time trying to declutter that I neglect my daily duties, and while the closets are clean, the rest of the house is a wreck :tongue_smilie: I'm going to try not to do that this time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 Excellent point, because that's usually my downfall! Well, that and the fact that I spend so much time trying to declutter that I neglect my daily duties, and while the closets are clean, the rest of the house is a wreck :tongue_smilie: I'm going to try not to do that this time! This is me too!!! I clean my closet to perfection, only to realize that the kitchen is a sty and the clothes havent been washed in a week!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I have been doing this since a week after baby boy came home. I have much more to do. I just have to dh on board with getting rid of stuff! So far I have done: Bathroom drawers 1 section of kitchen cabinets All book shelves All flat surfaces in the main living areas My clothes File cabinet Desk....half way Kids clothes I need to do: Entry closet Top shelf of pantry Kids toys Rest of kitchen Garage Finish desk School dresser My goal is to get everything we use in a home, in the house. Tools and bikes in the garage, everythong else.....gone!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeschoolMamaOfTwo Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I started, too. I conquered this one corner in the kitchen that is over in an area away from the main kitchen/serving/meal prep area. The papers and things I have no idea what to do with always pile up there. Recently, when I decluttered other areas, I put a bunch of the stuff I had no idea what to do with there, and it has been like that ever since. It was driving me NUTS. I finally have it completely cleared off, and I hope I can keep it that way. It is sort of our "landing zone" where we drop everything when we come in the door, too. That area has the keys, garage door openers, my purse, sunglasses, etc. So it is a struggle to keep it cleared off. I hope I can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trillian Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I cleaned out my linen/game closet. It has been driving me crazy. I couldn't tell what we had since there was so much stuff piled in. Now, I know we need new bath towels, I have about 4 games we need to play or donate (I do this sometimes, pull out ones I'm not quite ready to get rid of, but aren't getting used and we play them as a test run), and embarrassingly, a whole large black trash bag of things to donate - from one closet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenC3 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm preggo and nesting. The sky will collapse, or something, if this baby is born and the entire house isn't spick-and-span. :tongue_smilie: I'm in. I have had *dreams* about pulling everything out of the kitchen cabinets, cleaning, and reorganizing it all. Same with the school stuff that overloads the basement. Most pregnant women dream of forgetting their baby at the store or forgetting to feed their baby...I'm dreaming about how the world will end if I have messes to clean with nursling-in-tow.:lol: Ha! We are in the exact same spot. I'm almost 4 mos along and all I can is freak out about clutter. Thank goodness I will have Jan-Mar, but it will take that long to get the basement done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I also threw out a broken fax machine and bread maker. Why did I put those in the basement instead of just throwing them away when they broke? :001_huh:D I have a nearly-broken TV (case is chipped and it's unstable when moved) that I moved to the add-on -- AWAY from the door. :banghead: So I'm right there with you! okay so 20 minutes per day with an extra 10 minutes bonus. Dont overdo yourself because then you wont be able to last all month! Okay, I guess I'm in. My house needs it, and I've already been doing some work to dejunk & beautify. As long as it doesn't interfere with my ~NaNoWriMo~ time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm in! Our storage closet and backyard shed are such disaster areas that it makes me irritable just to have to go in them. I love to declutter! Nice to have company! :D:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm decluttering now, too, but it is "emergency" style, so it won't be 20 minutes a day. We have drywallers coming to repair half the rooms in the house and they are drywalling the basement, so that is the emergency. I have to move everything in the Master closet, master bath, youngest ds' closet, office, dining room and family room. Honestly, it's almost easier to list the rooms that are not being worked on! Plus I can't take the easy way out and put things in the basement, because the basement has to be almost empty as well! I'm getting off this computer in ten minutes and I'm going to go face that sad master closet...pray for me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm in. Just got back from a week at a friend's luxurious condo in Myrtle Beach. Got a good taste of what it's like to not live in Clutterville. He had no cobwebs. The place was tastefully decorated, but rather minimalistic. Came back to our house, a dumpy little, old farmhouse that is packed full of the all the things we think we need to live. We have cobwebs, we have dust galore, we are just starting to burn our woodstove, which means heaps more dust and dirt waiting to be added to the mix. I am currently working to enroll 13yo dd in one of the online public school options. So I guess I can finally sell some of the old curriculum I have been keeping for "reference" reasons. I may get rid of up to half of the books I currently have to make room for. And I may start working 2 days/week outside of the home, so would love the opportunity to do some extra cleaning before that starts to make life easier for all of us when the cleaning chores get divided up more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Island Academy Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I could use some declutter company. Count me in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeschoolMamaOfTwo Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm in. Just got back from a week at a friend's luxurious condo in Myrtle Beach. Got a good taste of what it's like to not live in Clutterville. He had no cobwebs. The place was tastefully decorated, but rather minimalistic. We just came home from a vacation in a cabin in NC, and I said the SAME thing! I was like staying here for a few days has shown me how little you really need and when I get home I am getting rid of at least half my stuff and limiting what comes in. Motivation was lost a bit while unpacking. LOL But, I am watching Hoarders right now, and I feel the motivation coming back! Nothing does it like an episode of that show. :::shudder::: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 We just came home from a vacation in a cabin in NC, and I said the SAME thing! I was like staying here for a few days has shown me how little you really need and when I get home I am getting rid of at least half my stuff and limiting what comes in. Motivation was lost a bit while unpacking. LOL But, I am watching Hoarders right now, and I feel the motivation coming back! Nothing does it like an episode of that show. :::shudder::: Oh my, yes. I watched a lot of Hoarders while decluttering during a week the girls spent at day camp this summer. It was almost as a useful as a few months working with a therapist. I can see a lot of my own thought processes and habits more clearly now—and a lot of my DD10's as well :001_unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 So today, I gave away 2 sets of little kid skis, bagged up a bag of fabric to go to Goodwill, a bag of scraps for the trash, and one big binful to offer as freebies at our next homeschool co-op day. That was in about 20 or so minutes. I didn't even make a dent. Probably because as of right now, it's all still here:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I am so proud of me. I have not started my decluttering today at home but I did prevent anymore from coming in. My mom tried to off load some of her old stuff to me, and we went to the thrift shop together (ds14 needed a dress shirt) and other than gramma buying 1 book for each child the only thing we bought was 1 professor noggins trivia games (hockey) and 2 shirts for ds (one white long sleeve and 1 tan plaid short sleeve). There was plenty of cute things that I could have found a place for if I tried but I didn't buy them at all. For me that is a huge part of this process. Not bringing more stuff in when I am still trying to organize what I already have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 (edited) My house could use some sprucing up, and the garage definitely needs my attention. After readingi through the cleaning thread, I thought others might want to join me in November on a cleaning/decluttering month. I did one of these last year and it was great! Now that we finally own our own home, I am even more motivated. Anyone interested? eta: i am going to follow the guidelines of the 30 Day Declutter Challenge, and will post "plans" as soon as I write them up. That way we can all print out the guidelines for the month and be prepared!!! :) No, I don't want to join you, but I will since MIL is coming for Thanksgiving - first time she will see this house, and, well, did I mention MIL is coming...? I did very little today. I put "new bath towels" on my to-do list so my in-laws don't have to use our 20-year-old towels. Then I nearly panicked when I went into the pantry. So I cleared a spot on a shelf for all the canned applesauce and grape jam which had been precariously balanced on my white pails of oats. Edited October 22, 2012 by Susan in TN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBanjoClown Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm in! We are about to list our house so we need to get it as clutter-free as possible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm in! My garage needs major attention! Along with everything else! Our garage is worthy of it's own T.V. series, but I'm really not "allowed" to touch it. I would simply throw everything but the camping gear, garden tools, Christmas stuff, and bikes, but apparently there is a ton of really valuable and worthwhile junk in there that dh wants to go through himself. Someday. In the far distant future...:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 We did it!!! Our garage is DONE!!! We have not finished our garage since we moved in 3 1/2 years ago. This is HUGE for us. We can now fit both cars in the garage. And we learned that the rabbit coop will not fit so now I need to figure that out. But I have this week to do that so it rocks. I feel so darn good. Getting that awful thing handled and out of the way makes everything else seem so simple. Tomorrow, we are supposed to be thunderstorm-y but in between, I will be washing all the litterboxes for the winter outside. And washing my back decks and windows. Tonight, I'm going to spend an hour attacking my bathroom and scrubbing her good. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 We did it!!! Our garage is DONE!!! We have not finished our garage since we moved in 3 1/2 years ago. This is HUGE for us. We can now fit both cars in the garage. And we learned that the rabbit coop will not fit so now I need to figure that out. But I have this week to do that so it rocks. I feel so darn good. Getting that awful thing handled and out of the way makes everything else seem so simple. Tomorrow, we are supposed to be thunderstorm-y but in between, I will be washing all the litterboxes for the winter outside. And washing my back decks and windows. Tonight, I'm going to spend an hour attacking my bathroom and scrubbing her good. :) Wow, that is amazing! I'm kinda jealous! Our garage and attic aren't even on my list for this month because I really need to concentrate on the main living areas, and I need DH to help me with those two monster jobs. Someday... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Well dh decided to help declutter. He tossed a few unnecessary electronics, and sold a small stack of his vinyl records from the 80s. For which they gave him nearly a hundred dollars. :glare: Mancleaning. Hmph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Wow, that is amazing! I'm kinda jealous! Our garage and attic aren't even on my list for this month because I really need to concentrate on the main living areas, and I need DH to help me with those two monster jobs. Someday... I divided our garage into quarters. That's the only way I could get DH to help me. I told him we weren't going to accomplish it all one day and we'd only work for an hour or two at a time. Then I made the kids do the grunt work, like sweeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 If you were short of built in what cheap solution would you use to store linens, out of season clothing. Extra sheets get folded and tucked under the mattress at the foot of the bed. Out of season clothes get put in suitcases in closet or under the bed in under the bed boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureMoms Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 OK, I'm starting my list of tasks on here so I don't lose/forget it. 20 minutes sounds perfect to me! I won't be able to start until Nov 3 and I'll be gone for three days Nov 16-18, but otherwise I'll be here. I'm hoping to continue into the first few days of December because my house could really use a full 30 days! I'm trying to break this up into small enough chunks to be able to do a whole piece each day, which is why I have like 17 entries for kitchen cabinets (yes, they are that bad) Anyhow... Upstairs: 1 Linen closet 2 Bathroom Cabinets 3 My bedroom closet 4 Other stuff in my bedroom (all the twins clothes, my clothes, the homeschool stuff...) 5 The twins' bedroom closet (needs to be emptied and used for longer-term storage) 6 DD's bedroom closet (needs a purge & reorganization) Main Floor: 7 Clean out Fridge 8 Cabinets around the fridge 9 Cabinets around the sink 10 Cabinets around the stove 11 Glass cabinets/drawers 12 Entryway lower cabinets 13 Cabinets around fishtank 14 Cabinets around computer 15 Kitchen counters 16 Buffet in dining room 17 Bookshelves in living room 18 Living room surfaces Basement: 19 Train table 20 Bookshelves 21 TV table If I make it this far I'll be thrilled (some of those will take two days, for sure). But just in case, here are the "extra credit" areas I'd like to get to: 22. Laundry area 23. Pantry shelves 24. Sewing area 25. Tool room 26. Attic I'm not even willing to think about the garage. It's a wreck. Maybe if we do this again in the spring I'll have made it far enough to delve into that mess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeninok Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 We have a completely empty room. There is NOTHING in it!! I am going to paint the walls and scrub the floor and then we plan to make a mud room out of it. We also plan to use it to store things that can't go in the attic or garage, but that don't need to be in the main living areas, like holiday candles and various tools. Id also like to devise some hooks for holding my broom/mops and the shop vac cords. So excited for this challenge!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Island Academy Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Happy to report that six paper grocery bags of clothing and various dust collectors are in my car and ready to go to Goodwill this afternoon. Yay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I have been redoing my sunroom and cleaning up the dining room. They were both DISASTROUS! At least the clutter is somewhat tackled, a carpet for the sunroom put down, a table sold and out, and 3 large garbage bags tossed. It is not over yet, but we are getting there. I have vacuumed and somewhat dusted areas that have been a long time covered! I can actually USE the rooms now. I will continue these two rooms somewhat for the next couple of days, just to get any clutter stacked a bit more neatly or put into something, but we are leaving for vacation this weekend, so much of it will stay as it is until we get back. Part of my motivation was that the neighbor is coming in to care for the dogs while we are gone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Reporting in! Yesterday I bagged up all the fabric donation piles we had laying around and cleaned out the linen closet (which was not so bad, actually). This morning I cleaned out the fridge, and later today I'll scrub it down and work on the freezer. I'm not going as fast as I'd hoped, but forward progress is always good :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehon Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Well dh decided to help declutter. He tossed a few unnecessary electronics, and sold a small stack of his vinyl records from the 80s. For which they gave him nearly a hundred dollars. :glare: Mancleaning. Hmph. :bigear: Oh, really? A c-note (or thereabouts), you say? Did your dh take his records to a store? And would you perchance share the name of said store? Just between us Austin gals? My dh has several large boxes of old LPs from the 70s and 80s and such a "reward" might be just the incentive he needs to get rid of them. Pretty please with (your choice of condiment) on top? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 :bigear: Oh, really? A c-note (or thereabouts), you say? Did your dh take his records to a store? And would you perchance share the name of said store? Just between us Austin gals? My dh has several large boxes of old LPs from the 70s and 80s and such a "reward" might be just the incentive he needs to get rid of them. Pretty please with (your choice of condiment) on top? :bigear: Just good old Half Price. The guys who had just spent half an hour oohing and aahing over them looked pretty guilty about the offer, and I had the strong feeling he could have done a lot better on eBay, but he didn't want to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehon Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Just good old Half Price. The guys who had just spent half an hour oohing and aahing over them looked pretty guilty about the offer, and I had the strong feeling he could have done a lot better on eBay, but he didn't want to do that. Ah. I wondered if that weren't the case as many of the old Austin stores have closed. We have a Half Price fairly close to our house. Maybe he (ahem, we) could top up our Christmas fund. Thanks for the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Almost finished the bathroom tonight. Clean out the cabinet under the sink. It is now empty. Cleaned off the laundry shelves (they had lots of things that needed to hang to dry in the closet but never got put away. Washed the walls. Washed the exterior of the washing machine (washer is in the bathroom, dryer in the mud room). Cleaned off all the extra stuff from on the over the johnny shelving. Wiped down the fronts of the linen cupboards. Still have to organize the inside of one of the cabinets(it is the one that I store extra sanitary products, bathroom cleaning supplies, the plunger, etc. Have a play rug to put away as it is hung to dry for the night, and replace the rugs after floor is dry. And I want to clean in the side ledge of the washer. So all in all about 10-20 minutes of work left in there for tomorrow, but it is going on 1 am so it can wait. Also tossed most of my old harvest and halloween decor and set up the few items I kept. My big kids have their online class tomorrow. During it I plan to go room by room and make my lists, and clean the backroom. That should be easy. I had mostly decluttered it but I want to wipe down the appliances(dryer and deep freeze) and either fix or remove the 2 broken pantry shelves. If I don't get overly interupted I should be able to finish the bathroom, backroom and lists all during that online class and be ready to work with them when they are done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Almost finished the bathroom tonight. Clean out the cabinet under the sink. It is now empty. Cleaned off the laundry shelves (they had lots of things that needed to hang to dry in the closet but never got put away. Washed the walls. Washed the exterior of the washing machine (washer is in the bathroom, dryer in the mud room). Cleaned off all the extra stuff from on the over the johnny shelving. Wiped down the fronts of the linen cupboards. Still have to organize the inside of one of the cabinets(it is the one that I store extra sanitary products, bathroom cleaning supplies, the plunger, etc. Have a play rug to put away as it is hung to dry for the night, and replace the rugs after floor is dry. And I want to clean in the side ledge of the washer. So all in all about 10-20 minutes of work left in there for tomorrow, but it is going on 1 am so it can wait. Also tossed most of my old harvest and halloween decor and set up the few items I kept. My big kids have their online class tomorrow. During it I plan to go room by room and make my lists, and clean the backroom. That should be easy. I had mostly decluttered it but I want to wipe down the appliances(dryer and deep freeze) and either fix or remove the 2 broken pantry shelves. If I don't get overly interupted I should be able to finish the bathroom, backroom and lists all during that online class and be ready to work with them when they are done. WOW! I havent even began or thought about where to start first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 WOW! I havent even began or thought about where to start first! I have so much to do and so little time there was no way I was going to wait until November so I have started on the things that were irritating me the most and would be met with a sense of accomplishment very quickly. My bigger tasks are on hold and will take much more effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Well, I woke up at 1:30 am and stayed in bed until 2 am. Figured I wasn;t going to get back to sleep so I ended up in the unfinished basement declutting, cleaning, and organizing the area that is meant for the boys to do their crafts. I couldn't see the table down there before I started. I know I have some craft supplies around the house I've bought over time (in 3 different rooms), so when everyone is up, I'm going to collect all those and finish the job today. I'm donating quite a few things that we won't use and trashed a bunch. The nice thing is I now know what I have and we can actually get some crafty time in. It feels so good :D! Thanks for starting this thread!!! Got me motivated!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 WhooHoo! Not fantastic, but MUCH better. I don't even want to tell you how bad my dining/school room was getting. Stacks of books and notebooks that had morphed into "lining the floor" with the mess. I picked it all up and stacked it neatly in the corner in a couple of large buckets. It is NOT fully put away, but it is better, the table is now completely cleared off AND I was able to sweep the floor completely. So, the sunroom and the dining room are *almost* there. The bulk of it is done and we will have fully functional rooms soon. I leave for vacation on Sunday, so I only plan to clean between now and then (just regular cleaning up as we have people coming into the house to care for the dogs while we are gone) but the organizing will continue when I return from vacation Nov. 10.) Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I had to put one of our kitties down yesterday so the whole day was a wash, proverbially speaking. Today I am going to finish my bathroom upstairs and then get to washing those litterboxes through my tears. Then I'll be house cleaning like a maniac. Because that's what I do when I'm sad. Anyone local, come get me. I'm going to be a cleaning maniac for a few days. :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I had to put one of our kitties down yesterday so the whole day was a wash, proverbially speaking. Today I am going to finish my bathroom upstairs and then get to washing those litterboxes through my tears. Then I'll be house cleaning like a maniac. Because that's what I do when I'm sad. Anyone local, come get me. I'm going to be a cleaning maniac for a few days. :sad: :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 I am so impressed! you all are doing wonderfully and it's not even November LOL. I wish I could start now but October is too busy for us. We're leaving for a trip to NYC today (poor us!) and then it's halloween. I have been working on the Declutter list and hopefully will have a preview up soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.