UPDATE The Comfort Zone, Getting Organized in 2014: Living Room

Well here we go! The moment we have all been waiting for. Several days of organizing, cleaning and getting this decluttered. This is what we came up with. Our living room is VERY narrow, so it is easy to get cluttered up.

Wow!! That was a lot of work, but it sure does feel good to have it done. It is almost like walking into a hotel room or a bed and breakfast, very relaxing and enjoyable. It is hard when you actually use your home 24/7, 365. We are always here and it's so easy to make messes.

Next area is a big blue tote (love the color of this tote) of papers and miscellaneous stuff from when I was ill last year. About 3 months of papers, junk mail, magazines and general clutter got dumped into this tote. I am starting to view Rough Totes and Sterelite containers as a big NO NO for my house! lol. They just don't ever seem to want to stay empty. One of my favorite stores to go to is the Container Store...lol...keep me out of there!

 

YEAH, that is right, there are a lot of paper trails in here!

Here is where I plan to get rid of most of the paper trail.

Basket #1 taking to next homeschool meeting

Basket #2 important papers that need kept (receipts, tax stuff etc)

Basket #3 trash

 

In the come coming days we shall see how this all pans out. I have started working through the basket a bit, but have a lot more to go. Due to the weather my wonderful husband was able to come home early from work. So while I worked through a small section of the blue tote, he was gracious enough to unload and load the dishwasher. A double blessing is what I got.

 Check back next time to see where we are and what area we plan to work on next. Remember our theme for getting organized in 2014. Romans 14:13 "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way." Is my method of being a keeper at home causing my homeschooled young man to stumble? To learn messy ways? To try to take the easy way out? Am I teaching my homeschooled young man to be a Godly husband to my future daughter in law? Am I teaching my homeschooled young man what a Godly wife and mother is like?Galatians 6:9 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Ok, Homeschool Mamma's (and non homeschool mamma too, I know several that read my blog) out there how many of us can relate to the second half of this verse? LOL...yeah, most of us are ready to faint at any moment! But we need to look at the first part of the verse, obviously the Lord knew that we would be weary and ready to drop over in doing well (His idea of well and not the world's idea of well! REMEMBER THAT!)

Share your own favorite ways to get organized in the new year.

LOVE THIS!!

I just came across this and it looks really cool!!

I've been doing some home organization and de-cluttering this week, so I'm looking for ideas to use the space that I have been blessed with.

I know as homeschoolers our kids do not have lockers, but boy this could work really well in a small space with a closet. Hang up your school supplies and books, all hidden away in a closet!! It's affordable too. Around $25.00.

 

 LockerWorks Hanging Locker Organizer

 

Comes in several different color choices and Amazon.com sell it. I'm an Amazon.com junkie! lol.......LOVE that company. It does have a lot of good reviews.

Thinking that if I come across some extra pocket $$$ I will have to get one of these.

 

Have a great week!

 

Organized bookshelves? Clutter? HELP ME!!

Moody Radio's In The Market Place with Janet Parshall Hour 2 today was entitled "Too Much Stuff"

It made me do some thinking and I even had my son listen to it. I plan to get the book. You can listen by going to Moody Radio. Here is a snapshot of Kathryn Porter talking with Janet Parshall today.

"Clutter expert Kathryn Porter joins us to clean up
our houses, and our hearts. Her popular book,
Too Much Stuff, now has a second edition.
She’ll share how God loves us amongst our messes"

Kathryn also has a website Clutter Wise check her out and see how you can conquer what is cluttering your life and it may not just be stuff that is cluttering it up.

So this brings me to my blog post for today:

I'm in need of some ideas on how to get our bookshelves more organized. I really think that we would use more of our materials if we could find them! lol.  Our son has been bored (we don't use that term, but for lack of another word I will  :-)  this past week and so he started digging through the bookshelves and found some science experiment books. He asked if he could do some and I told him that was fine, but to make sure that he marked the pages so that I could count the hours for the up coming school year ~YEAH for the teacher who has a Thinking Cap on!~ 

I also reminded him what science is all about: (Did I say that I just love this homeschool thing!?)
 *thinking ahead (what is going to happen),
 *thinking about why it's going to happen (cause/effect)
 *thinking about how it happened (process)
 *thinking about the outcome (was I correct in my assessment).

Got to love homeschooling and how kids love to learn. The teacher even told him that he could write in the book. GASP! In the past I have said "Don't write in that! I'll resell it." Well, I'm changing my tune on that one as of today, why not use it if you bought it. So write away! lol

Ok, now that I have taken us down that little rabbit trail (friends  you know how I am with rabbit trails, I've never met one that I won't follow!).

So on to organizing the books. I'm just not sure how to do it. I've got several different grades of materials and also many subject areas. One of my main areas that drives me CRAZY is the second shelf from the top on the right side. It's all the CD's DVD's, VHS's that are school stuff. What on earth can I do with those to get them orderly? It's just a mess and I try to hide it with my cute little shelf sitters. I have 2 snowman (ya know I can't pass up a snowman.) and a cute little scarecrow girl that falls off the shelf all the time. GGRR!  There is clutter on those shelves too, I have some recipe books and such that has made there way and other misc. items that need homes.

So send me some ideas on how I can get our school year off to an organized venture!  Feel free to post your areas that need some help and we can put our heads together.


Hugs,
Moe