I've talked a lot here about my general state of panic ever since C stopped napping regularly. As you guys know, I do a lot of my blogging when the kids are sleeping. That means that if C is no longer going to nap in the afternoon, then he needs to be doing something else that's independent of me (and if you've been reading this blog for any amount of time at all then you know that won't be sitting in front of the TV). My first attempt at tackling this conundrum came in the form of … [Read more...]
POYEL: Decluttering the Small Stuff
After a week of vacation, it seems like it's been quite a while since we've had a Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life post around here. So today we're tackling more decluttering. Last time we addressed the topic, I included a link up party and, to be honest, I just wasn't feeling it. I loved seeing everyone's progress - it was just the look of the whole thing I pretty much hated. It felt way too cluttered for a post on, well, decluttering. Despite that little set back, I still thought our … [Read more...]
POYEL: Examining Our Daily Routines
Something I've realized about Project Organize Your Entire Life lately, is that it really needs to be about more then checklists and systems. It needs to be about how we live and think - how we prioritize. In fact, when I take the time to consider my true motivations behind that first infamous post, I realize that what I'm looking for isn't perfection but a way to make space to be the parent I want to be. With that in mind, I'm doing things a bit differently today. I was … [Read more...]
Good Idea: Busy Bag Swap
Ever since sharing with you guys about parents swapping cliff notes (and your resounding positive response to the idea), I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. So here's the good news, tomorrow I'll have some bona fide cliff notes for you from a very special guest poster, Whitney of Rookie Moms. And who knows, it could be just the beginning of a whole new venture here. Before we get to that, though, I've got something else to share today. I've been thinking about other great … [Read more...]
POYEL: Secrets to Successfully Getting Dinner on the Table
Time for another Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life check in. We've already addressed meal planning a bit but today I want to lay out the complete action plan for getting dinner time totally under control. Step 1: Have a System for Finding Meals The quickest and easiest way to conquer dinner planning is to have a system for finding recipes each week. So far we've featured two options for doing this here on POYEL: Mel's 6 week meal plan (complete with recipes and grocery … [Read more...]
POYEL: Decluttering the Kitchen
Time for a POYEL check-in. Hopefully you're settling into a cleaning routine and you're saving some time each week on meal planning. I've heard from lots of you via comments, facebook and email and it sounds like some serious progress is being made. So what's next? I'm thinking decluttering. I figure the extra time is the perfect opportunity to start incorporating this into our lives. And if you allocated a spot for decluttering in your weekly schedule then you're already ahead of the … [Read more...]
Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life: Mega Cleaning Action Plan
Today's the day, time for me to unleash one enormous post and time for you to finally make a cleaning schedule and get started down the path to a new life. One in which you don't have to limit having people over to times when you know you'll have a few hours to frantically surface clean the whole place first (or is that just me?). That's the goal anyway, and below is the action plan to help get you there. So grab a cup of Jo, some pen and paper, and get comfy - we've got some work to … [Read more...]
Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life: DIY Cleaning Chart
So this is kind of, OK totally, putting the cart before the horse but I got so excited about the concept of making a cleaning chart and actually having a clean house that I just couldn't wait any longer - ideas on how I wanted to make mine were literally keeping me up at night. Plus, your comments lead me to believe that many of you are also moving ahead with your cleaning schedule (bravo!). So I'm jumping ahead a bit but I promise I'm still going to post a roundup of all the useful stuff you … [Read more...]
Weekly Cleaning Schedule Pop Quiz
After the mountain of feedback I received on Organize Your ENTIRE Life: Weekly Schedules (thanks for that by the way), it quickly became apparent that cleaning is, indeed, a beast in and of itself. In order to create a kick-ass weekly schedule, we're going to have to start with the toilets, I'm afraid. (Actually, we'd be fine starting with everything else and then working in the cleaning, but my house is a mess - something really must be done before the children lose all their friends - and … [Read more...]