Dapper Bags

Organizing a diaper bag is no easy task. We use them often and often we use them in a rush. They get really messy quick. I try to reorganize mine every Sunday before the little (and her bag) go off to the nursery. Here is how I keep mine organized...

First I empty everything into a bin. I take out my handy dandy hand held vacuum and clean the inside (there will be crumbs).

Then I put the diaper stuff with diaper stuff...and restock...

and food stuff with food stuff...get rid of the gross stuff and add some new stuff...

body care stuff together...

I put a swim bag together: 1 swim diaper, swim suit, and sunscreen. The bag will come in handy for bringing home wet swim wear. And I put an extra clean outfit in a plastic bag (chances are the outfit replacing it will be...not so clean...)

Then I put everything together and try to stream line. I try to just have 1 of everything (3 diapers). Of course this rule changes for day trips and overnight stays. 

Happy organizing! :)

Freesource

I LOVE doing free projects. Here's a new one I found. It requires drinking cute beer and reusing the bottles. Might just be the most enjoyable project EVER! :)

Daunting Tasks

Chores I HATE

Putting away laundry-

 What is frustrating about it?

I usually set aside enough time to wash and dry my clothes but I forget to set aside time to put them away. They usually end up coming out of the dryer and staying in the hamper until they are all used up.

They get wrinkled and sometimes mixed with dirty laundry.

 The Tactic

1. Only commit to 1 load at a time. See it through beginning to end. 
2. Sort the designated load the night before. Have the detergent and quarters set aside. (I live in an apartment complex without my own washer/dryer)
3. Set my alarm clock early to start the load. And another alarm 45min later to switch from the washer to dryer.
4. Separate clothes when transferring from washer to dryer. Sort between his and hers and tops and bottoms. Remove clothing that can dry on its own like dress pants and work shirts. Hang immediately to ensure they don't get wrinkled. 
5. For tedious folding grab your smart phone or iPod and listen to some tunes while you fold or watch that show on netflix you haven't had time to catch up with yet. 

After Dinner Clean Up-

             This chore is frustrating because making dinner is a big chore in itself. Ideally it would be nice if whoever didn't prepare the meal becomes responsible for cleanup. But if you live by yourself or have a crazy schedule this may not happen. So you are left with dirty dishes, a greasy stove top, and crumbs all over the counter.

The Tactic-

1. Clean what you can while you go. This is the easiest way to cut down on cleanup. Pull the trash can over to where you are working so you can immediately dump the wrappers and stems of vegetables. 
2. Fill up the sink with some hot soapy water before you get started so you can toss utensils in as you go. 
3. Keep the hand-held vacuum nearby for a quick crumb cleanup. 
4. Anticipate leftovers. If you don't eat leftovers be careful to only make enough for 1 meal. If you are a fan of leftovers...set aside the containers, plastic wrap, etc. that you will need to store your meal.

HAIR-

             This last chore is one that I truly truly hate. Hair is so annoying. Every morning it ends up in the bathroom sink, the tub, and the bathroom floor. There is nothing worse then trying to take a relaxing bath when you lift up your limbs and wet hair is stuck to your skin. Eewww!

The Tactic

1. Keep your handy dandy hand-held vacuum close by (I store mine under my bathroom sink). As soon as I am done getting ready in the morning I take the vacuum and do a quick 30 sec hair clean up. I try to get the vacuum out before I have turned on the sink because wet hair won't vacuum. If I forget I just use a tissue to wipe out the sink and counter. 
2. Aim. When you are fixing your hair in the morning don't just let stray hairs fall where they may. Aim for the sink (if you are gonna clean it when you are done). If you lack the discipline to clean after every morning ritual aim for the toilet or trash can.

 What are chores you hate? Have you come up with any unique solutions?

Toy Chest

I have a new rule for my daughter. She can have as many toys that will fit into this little chest.

Benefits to limiting your child to a small toy chest...

1. The chest is small yet attractive so I don't mind if it ends up in the living room. 
2. She can move it easily (it's a toy in itself). 
3. It eliminates toy clutter. 
4. She is more interested in playing outside or with random stuff like spice containers.
5. I don't want her to grow up thinking she needs "things" to entertain herself.
6. We can work on clean up time together. At the end of the night we pick up all her toys and put them to bed. 
7. Easily transported to Auntie's house.

Obsessed with less

        We are programmed. We want more...More...MORE! This is the carefully wrapped package our society has sold us ever since we could walk. Expanding, improving, and updating constantly rules our mind. We are slaves to consumption.

        This standard in our society disgusts me. Sure all of this "stuff" would be wonderful if it offered peace, satisfaction, and a truly enriched mind but it only feeds the desire of wanting MORE. This really saddens me. Why have we let such meaningless things lord over our lives?

         I want to be obsessed with less. This idea is completely contradictory to everything our world has taught us. However, I have found it to be much more rewarding then anything the world has tried to sell me.

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Matthew 19:21

          Admit it, as Christians we overlook this verse. Why? Because we LOVE our stuff. It only makes sense that Jesus would ask us to give up this other love in our life before we follow him. Living with less is what Christ intended for us. Scratch that...He desired us to live with nothing...so he could be our EVERYTHING. 

          When you take away everything from your life; your home, car, clothes, money, friends, etc. what is left? Are you content? Is it impossible for you to enjoy life this way? I believe this is what Jesus wants; complete contentment with Him...nothing else. 

          I am becoming what some would call a minimalist. It's an active desire to live with less. Recently my husband and I moved to Dallas, TX. As a new minimalist my goal was to move with only 1 tub per room. That meant 1 box of kitchen stuff, 1 box for the bathroom, 1 for the bedroom (including clothes), 1 box for Evelyn's room, and 1 box for the living room. We fudged a little bit (mainly on baby stuff) but were able to fit everything in our car and the in- laws trunk. That was our first big commitment on living a minimalist life style. It was a little scary deciding what could go and what we had to let go of. However, I am really trying to remember what we didn't take and I can't. We survived and still are. God is faithful not our stuff. 

          I was about to say that "A minimalist lifestyle is not for everyone" but in reality it is. Minimizing our stuff is a practical approach to ridding ourselves of the world and relying on Jesus. Lately I have been looking at the things I don't want to consider getting rid of. These are the things that are most likely to lord over my life. There are things that I place in very high value...my "smart" phone for one or my computer. If you ever find yourself saying, "I just can't get rid of that" chances are that is probably the ONE thing you should do without. 

         Before moving the ONE thing we just couldn't get rid of was the TV. Why is it that no one in our culture seems to be able to survive without this thing? We used to make excuses like, "we only use it for informative purposes like watching Food Network and Discovery Channel". Which is all fine and dandy but Christ asks us to give up our possessions (the stuff we can't live without). And guess what? We do live without it just fine. Its absence is almost unnoticeable. I have more to say about the TV but will leave that for another blog. 

         I urge you to get excited about less. Give up some possessions you love and let Jesus take over...it's amazing. 

Bath time with Jesus

Maybe you are just like me and you have NEVER been able to successfully commit to a "quiet time"  and you feel guilty for it. After all  every good Christian wakes up at 5:00 am to pray and read the Bible. Sunday sermons would always convince me that I was actually going to get up and do it and stick to it. Monday morning came around and I would hit that snooze button like nobody's business. Many times  I wouldn't think of my failed commitment until the next Sunday and the cycle would start all over again. Or I would think of it and I would just feel guilty that I kept failing.

Over the last year I have met with Jesus in one of the most unlikely places...my bathtub. Is it really so crazy? The bathtub was the one place of quiet I could rely on for relaxation, rejuvenation, and a solitude for thoughts. The only problem was that meeting with myself really wasn't that exciting. I really didn’t have a relaxed mind, rejuvenated soul and my thoughts were certainly not very interesting. So I naturally began asking Jesus to meet me there. I naturally longed to listen to simple music that worshiped God in my time there. Most of all I was excited to meet Him.

Lately I have been thinking of ways to further use my uniqueness and creativity to make an exciting bath time with Jesus. I have also been trying to memorize more scripture. Today I took a dry erase marker and wrote Psalm 139:23-24 right onto the tile. This will also help remind me to scrub my shower :) I can't wait to take a bath tonight.

God has created us each uniquely. Why should our intimate time with him be anything but unique? I encourage any "quiet" time failures to be creative. Don't think your time with God has to be dry and boring. Let me know if you come up with any cool ideas.

Expensive Organizing

Just dropped in at the Container Store (I have and interview there tomorrow ) and couldn't help but be a little disgusted by how much everything costs. Is organization only for the rich? No my friend it is not. There are many things you can do to organize without even spending a DIME!

Free ways to organize…

Purge- This is probably the most important aspect of organization and it can go a long way for small and large wallets.  The fewer things you own the less you will…

1. Spend time dealing with that stuff
2. Have to find space  for that stuff
3. Spend money on maintaining and containing that stuff

Reuse- Instead of buying containers GO GREEN. Find things around your home that you can repurpose to store your belongings.

I recently took old diaper boxes to make recycling tubs. You can do the same. Try sprucing them up with old gift wrap or even newspaper (which is appropriate décor for a "recycle" theme.

Rearrange- Rearrange your items in an attractive manner.  Simply color coding your closet can give it a fresh look.

Work with what you have- By simply using the fixed storage in your space.

Copy Cat- Go to a place like the Container Store and check out their inventory. See if there are any products that you can recreate at home.

If you have to spend…

Goodwill- storage solutions like canvas bins and wicker baskets are expensive new. Many times you can find baskets or bins for a few dollars or less.

The Dollar Store- Many dollar stores off unique products like drawer dividers and canvas bins. Most of the canvas bins in my place are from Dollar Tree.

Yard Sale- who knows what you can find.

Spend big- only if the need is big. Don't buy unless you have a specific purpose for that item. Never buy just because you like an item or it may become another piece of clutter. 

Junk Drawer

The junk drawer...almost every household has one. It's  a cancer that absorbs miscellaneous items. We want to find a place for each of our things  but those "things" often seem uncategorizeable. So we shove our things in that drawer. They remain out of sight and out of mind. Then we need something; a rubber band, battery, lighter, paper clip, that Pizza Hut coupon, or unpaid bill. We begin the sifting and swishing of stuff in search of that lady's  e-mail address we know we stashed in there...somewhere. 

I am a guilty: I am a junk drawer creator. While I try to label myself as a very organized individual, I can not seem to stop the stashing and shoving. It is just too easy, I am too lazy, and there seems to be no sensible place.  Even though I occasionally fall into this trap I  have been training myself to become a junk drawer eliminator. The process, overtime, becomes less overwhelming and less time consuming. It simply requires a little tweaking and purging every couple of months. With out a junk drawer you should be able to; have a home for every item in your house (even the odd ones), find any item in the minimum amount of time possible, and rest easy knowing you won't have to fret over any misplaced item ever again. Okay so maybe that won't always happen but it is something to strive for. 

Down and dirty...steps to turn the junk drawer into the Highly Effective and Usable Drawer Where Valued Tools are Kept.

1. Clear the drawer of all contents.
2. Clean the drawer. (Who knows when the next time it will be empty).
3. Purge. Bring over the trash can, recycle bin, and donation bin for this step.
•  If you haven't used it in a year...purge it.
• If it is trash...purge it.
• If you have no idea what it is...take the time to find out and relocate OR purge it.
• If it is broken and beyond repair...purge it.
• If it is old and you have a better one…purge it.
• If you have multiples (that you don’t need)...purge.

4. Sort. Items to stay in the drawer and items to be relocated. Don't forget the relocation part. If the items you meant to relocate end up in the drawer again, we really did not accomplish anything. 
5. Sort again the items that will remain in the drawer...like items with like items.
6. Plan out how everything will go in the drawer. Store items where they are the most likely to be used. Have a place for each item so that you can guarantee its return. 
7. Make your drawer happy. Use your style to enhance your drawer. This will help you want to keep it clean.
8. Take a picture of your drawer at its best. Keep it in sight so you know how beautiful it can look.

Simply Simple

Strive to live simply and enjoy abundantly.