Controlling the Clutter

I'm messy, I admit it. There is usually at least one pile of papers on my desk (if not many more). I've put different systems into place in the past that have helped some. I now have a spot for the kids' homework on the new(ish) shelves and I have a place that the mail goes, but there was still paperwork all over my desk.
I saw this project a while ago and I think I may have looked at it for a bit, and then forgotten about it. A friend online brought up organizing the other day and we got to chatting about it again. Another friend posted a link to this similar project and I finally thought I might try it out (and I liked how that 2nd one was CUTE!).
I've actually had a hanging file system on my desk for years, but it was back where I couldn't get to it easily, so I didn't use it. I pulled it out (and dusted it off), and then made new folders for everything that gets piled up on my desk. I also spent some time making it look cute, I'm hoping that if I like how it looks I'll be more apt to use it. :) I found a new spot for it that's much easier to get to, so I'm really hoping that I will be able to use it now and keep the clutter off my desk.

Here it is...



Here are the folders I have:
To Deal With (I'm planning on going through this one once a week)
-ASAP (planning on going though this daily)
To Shred
Family
-each of us get a folder in this category
School Papers (for things that pertain to both kids or the school in general)
Coupons (and gift cards, but that wouldn't all fit on the tag)
Trips
-with an orange and black folder for our Giants trips :)

We'll see how this works. I had to put a stipulation on that "to deal with" folder of going through it once a week or I knew it would just fill up with stuff and I'd never deal with it. I'm really hoping this will keep my desk clear of papers!

Monday Menu and other stuff...

Well, I just have to say that I really hate this computer. I just wrote a big long post, and the computer started freaking out when I tried to upload some pictures, so I COPIED my blog post so I wouldn't loose it, but apparently it didn't actually copy when I told it to, so it's gone.
And, what makes me even more mad is that anytime the browser gets closed it logs me out of everything, it's been doing that for about a year now, and I can't figure out why. I was online one day when the power flashed, and then when I turned the computer back on it said I was logged in on another computer and it logged me out. Now it says that every time I open the browser, and I have no clue why (yes, I've checked all the options and settings...). *sigh*


Anyway... here's the menu for the week...

Monday- dinner @ my sisters, binging candy bar cheesecake
Tuesday- Dr appointments all day, spaghetti & salad
Wednesday- twice baked potatoes
Thursday- ?
Friday- Breakfast, something with potatoes (we have a lot of them right now!)
Saturday- Evan's Mechanical night at the races
Sunday- BBQ?? (we didn't get to it last night)

We'll see how much of that we stick to... lol


We (meaning Matthew) got a lot of stuff done yesterday. We finally got some shelves up in R's closet so I could move all his clothes in there and make room for the smaller dresser/chaining table. I don't know why, but this makes me so happy. lol Here's a picture of it when it was mostly done. I moved a few things around after this was taken, and I still need to organize the top shelf, but you get the idea.


I got those plastic bins at Target, 5 for $4, and I love them! They're the prefect size for the shelves. :)

Matthew also set up the smaller dresser, so today I'm going to start doing baby laundry and putting it away, I can't wait!
And to show what a nesting dork I am, we put the bigger dresser in the garage and I'm going to organize all of N's bigger clothes in there so they'll be easier to look through and find when he starts growing into bigger sizes. I'm SO EXCITED to take them all out of the bins and be able to see them!! lol

I also had Matthew hang this stuff in M's room for me... We picked up this little lantern at Ikea months ago and then we brought a few globes home from the wedding last week, I think it looks really cute!


Here's a close-up of the lantern, it's still kind of hard to see, but we put Tink in there. :)
(although Matthew, the Peter Pan expert, tells me that if I really knew the movie I'd know that when she was in that position she was actually in a drawer... lol)


Anyway, I'm feeling much better now that we've made some progress in getting the boys' room organized.

My kids go back to school next week, I can't believe how fast summer has gone by! And N will be here very soon!!

Randomness...

Well, let's see...

I made that lemon pasta last night. The kids hated it, they said it was sour. I thought it was different. I think I'm going to try the leftovers cold for lunch today, something about the warm lemon wasn't right. For now I don't think I'll be adding it into rotation though.

I'm so looking forward to next week's menu, I already have two things planned! It's the little things in life that make me happy. lol Matthew actually has Monday off, so I'm making him BBQ for me again, potatoes and either chicken or steak (still working on him for the steak). And Saturday we'll be eating hot dogs and Gilroy garlic fries, I can't wait for that one!!

Now if I could just figure out what to make for dinner tonight I'd be good...


I got some more decluttering done again yesterday. I needed to do M's room, but I just HAD to do the entryway first. I'm blaming it on nesting, which is so weird for me, I never had such a strong urge to clean and declutter with the other kids. I also just had to take the kids' bathroom stool outside and scrub it. How's that for weird?
Today I get to do fun stuff like the dishes that have been piling up all week and the kids' bathroom. Yey.


I had Matthew get the bin of boy clothes down last weekend, and I was a little shocked at how little I kept. There was one bin, and it had newborn up to 2T in it. I pulled all the baby stuff out and refilled it with bigger stuff (like all the 3T stuff R just outgrew). Now I need to find a place to put all the baby stuff until we get the room rearranged and set up this summer (baby will be sharing with R, but it's going to take some creativity to fit them both in one room).


Well, I better go start cleaning or it's never going to get done.

Monday Menu and stuff...

It's that time of the week again...

Monday- Breakfast (we never got to it last week)
Tuesday-
Wednesday- ziti & salad
Thursday- Burritos or group if it's raining :)
Friday- date night??
Saturday- chicken & pasta
Sunday- pizza from Costco?

That's all I've got for today. lol



I got some decluttering (or moving around of clutter, it's all in piles in my bedroom now) done Saturday. First I went through R's room and pulled out at least two big bags of stuff (of course, it doesn't look like I did a thing in there, why is that?). Then I decided I needed to go through the stuff under my bathroom cabinet (if that's not a random nesting thing I don't know what is). So, I cleaned out all my lotions and travel sized soaps and then used the electric toothbrush I found under there to scrub the hard to reach spots of our shower and sinks. lol
I didn't do anything yesterday (hey, it was Sunday and Mother's Day lol), but I plan to at least toss a few things today. I need to take some pictures of stuff for ebay too, and go through M's room sometime this week while she's at school.

I had a nice Mother's Day yesterday. We went to church, and then out to brunch and to Costco. Then we came home and I opened my presents (they got me a mitt and the kids made me a ton of cards and little paper things) and we watched the super long Giants game (13 innings, almost 5 hours). Matthew BBQed steak, potatoes, and asparagus for dinner and it was so yummy! Just a nice low-key day. :)