1. Blog more often.
I miss it.
2. Turn a profit.
I think I might actually do this,
even if it’s only a few dollars.
3. Finish Allie’s nursery/bedroom.
She deserves it.
4. Spend less.
Self explanatory.
5. Get the house in order.
It’s only been 9 years in March.
6. Yell less.
Self explanatory.
7. Read more.
Can’t believe I let this one slip.
8. Sell first item on Etsy.
Doable.
9. Laugh more.
Self explanatory.
10. Love my life.
Every day. Always.
Goals for 2015
Filed under Uncategorized
Kill, Refurb, Marry: Songs From Disney Animated Films
Every month I read the Kill Refurb Marry Blog Hop that is done by This Happy Place Blog and Mouse on the Mind, but I’ve never played along before. This month I decided to take the plunge and join in the fun!
Kill:
“(I Wanna Be) Like Other Girls” from Mulan II. There’s so much wrong with this song! Where do I even begin? The lyrics are racist. The performers use their best (worst) Chinese restaurant worker impressions. The melody sucks. From the moment I first heard this song, I was aghast. I first heard it on a Disney Princess Songs DVD that Charlie picked at the store one day. As this is one of her favorite DVDs, I’ve heard this song a lot. Each time, I cringe. I’ve finally seen Mulan II and it doesn’t really do anything to help the song out either. Just kill this song and put it, and me, out of misery.
Refurb:
“I’m Wishing/One Song” from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Not my favorite princess movie (although John loves it!) and not my favorite song. To me, it reads as I’m going to wait around in my rags, doing chores for my wicked witch stepmother, until a handsome prince comes along and saves me. There’s nothing I can do to get out of this situation on my own. Hmmmm. Not lyrics that are good for today’s modern girls! But, it does have redeeming qualities. The melody is beautiful and her voice is haunting. Just change the lyrics!
Marry:
This might not sit well with a lot of people, especially Disney enthusiasts, but right now, my current Marry would be “Let It Go” from Frozen. I am simply in love with this song. It is the epitome of the right song at the right time for me. This past year has been all about change for me – being laid off, having another baby, starting a new career (one that has nothing to do with my old one) – basically breaking my chains and becoming happy with myself (finally, at 37!). So this song has pretty much become my anthem. The lyrics are perfect for me right now and I find myself singing it, even when the girls aren’t around.
(As a side note, it also puts a smile on Allie’s face instantly when I sing it, no matter how hysterically crying she is at the moment).
So that’s it for me. Will I join in next month too? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see.
To find the other blogs that have joined in for this edition, follow this link.
Toy Closet
Our living room has been stressing me out lately. No matter how often I clean, you can always see toys and it looks like a daycare. This picture was taken five minutes after we got home from school last Thursday.
How crazy is that?
So, I started thinking about where the toys could go. Preferably somewhere that I didn’t need to look at them.
Suddenly I saw this.
It’s the closet under our stairs. The door opens into our living room, but it’s really deep. One problem.
Completely unable to get inside it due to crap.
But, I had a mission.
Last Friday, I cleaned that closet out. Eight bags of garbage came out of there, plus recycling.
We were left with this.
Next stop, Dollar Tree for toy organization bins. They have awesome bins for $1 a piece. I spent $20 on various small bins. Perfect size for toys.
Came home and put toys away. Right now the closet looks like this.
And like this.
The girls can find all their toys with ease. Also the novelty of putting their toys away hasn’t worn off yet.
Best part for me is this.
Nice and clean. Doesn’t look like a daycare anymore. ALL of the toys fit in the closet and I can shut the door on them. It’s wonderful.
Filed under dilemmas, Family, Household Organization, P1, P2
Junk Drawer
As I take the organizing one step at a time, I’m trying to fit it into my daily routine. Something everyday, but it can be small or big depending upon how much time I have available.
Today I didn’t have a ton of time, so I tackled the junk drawer.
Threw away a bunch of stuff, took stuff out that didn’t belong, and then organized the rest.
Much better. Reused a bunch of saved containers as trays. Total cost was absolutely free.
Filed under Household Organization, kitchen
Cleaning and Organizing
For the past few days I’ve been in a cleaning and organizing mindframe. I’m hoping it sticks around for a while. Most of my other tries at organizing this place have failed, so I’m hoping I have much more success this time.
Today, my goal was my kitchen counters. I hate seeing so much clutter in them.
Here’s a before.
Not happy with that at all. Too many things, not enough space to work. Ok, who am I kidding, there’s no work space there.
So, everything off and only the essentials back on.
Much better. The basket is all of our chargers, as we always have something charging on the counter. The paper bag is recycling. It’s a system that works for us (bag gets full, it gets thrown in the outside recycling bin). The binder is my everyday recipes. One white basket is measuring cups. The other is everyday medicines and toothpaste. The crockpot is tonight’s dinner 🙂
Where did everything go?
We had a full two door cabinet that was filled with junk and cat food.
Cleaned it out and adjusted the shelves. Three garbage bags later, we’ve got this.
I’d say this wasn’t bad for thirty minutes of work this afternoon.
Filed under Household Organization
Science by Charlie
C – Mommy, the moon’s not a planet.
Me – Nope.
C – It’s a rock.
Me – Yep.
C – A very big rock. Rocks aren’t planets.
I’m pretty sure someone’s actually paying attention in school.
The Shaky Octopus 