May’s giant tackle! June 2, 2008

 

May was designated for kid’s rooms in Organizing Junkie’s Monthly Round Up organizing challenge. 

I was totally thrilled.  I took on Ms. Lovebug (5) and Ms. Independent’s (3) room. 

They had two large buckets for their toys but it was just not working out.  Anytime they wanted to get a toy everything was dumped out in search of that toy.  What a mess!

Here is the room before:

As you can see, everything is out.  It was a huge daily chore to get everything picked back up again. 

Because they just chunked everything in the giant buckets that would often include clothing and shoes. 

This always became hardest on Sunday mornings as we hunted for the other shoe.  UGH!

Here is one of two shelves we bought the girls for organizing their toys.

As you can see, we have started the long process of sorting the toys.  They were sorted into three piles:  keep, give away and throw away. 

This shelf is Ms. Independent’s (3).  Ms. Lovebug (5) has one with tubs that are pastel colors.

Here is the room with the clothes put away, the toys done and the beds made.  Yes!

The new shelves make it much easier for the littles to keep their toys picked up.  They actually like knowing where all their toys are!

For more organized kids rooms visit Organizing Junkie.

Have a blessed day,

~Rhen

Thursday Thirteen #21 May 8, 2008

My Thursday Thirteen for today is 13 things our family is planning to do and hopes to do over the summer and into fall.

1.  Camping (several times, I hope)

2.  A field trip to a gold mine.

3.  Visit Sea World.

4.  Visit Busch Gardens (Both of these will happen when we take Ms. Firecracker down to Orlando to compete in Nationals.)

5.  A trip to the zoo.

6.  A trip to visit grandparents.

7.  Fishing.

8.  A hike and a picnic in a state park.

9.  A field trip to DeSoto Caverns.

10.  A couple of afternoons at the lake.

11.  A field trip to a local museum.

12.  Visit a local wildlife sanctuary.

13.  Spend as much time with the kids and having fun as possible!

So, what is your 13 for this week?  Pop over to Thursday Thirteen to visit more TT’ers.

*This is the last week for the current poll.  If ya wanna vote just click the polls page at the top of my blog.*

Have a blessed day,

~Rhen

Tackle it Tuesday May 6, 2008

This week’s tackle is for my daughter, Ms. Firecracker (7). 

This was her first year taking gymnastics lessons and then competing as a gymnast.  She earned 26 medals, 4 ribbons and 2 trophies.  I was storing them all in a bag on my dresser. 

I wanted her to be able to enjoy them so I bought some of those command hooks and put them on her wall.   There were 6 in the package, which is perfect.  She competed in 5 meets and then State.  Each hook holds the medals from 1 meet. 

Now all her medals on up for her to see and her trophies are on her shelf.

While we have finished the season for the local and state meets, she will be competing in Nationals in June. 

I am so proud of her!

What have you tackled?  For more great tackles or to get inspired visit 5 Min for Mom.

Don’t forget to leave me a comment so I can visit your blog!

Have a blessed week,

~Rhen

 

This week’s plans and menu May 5, 2008

Good Monday all!!  I hope you had a terrific weekend. 

1.  ~Even more laundry.  Like it will ever end!

2.  ~Grocery shopping.  I shop every two weeks and today it the day.  I will go right after my Dr’s appt today. 

3.  ~Gardening- the last of the succession planting will happen this week.  That includes corn, beans, squash, lettuce and more.  I picked up some herb plants this weekend that need to go in the rock garden. 

4.  ~Homeschooling.  More work on their basic books and finishing up subjects.  We will also be doing a lot of planet gazing this month and planning a field trip to Amicalola Falls.  I will see if anyone wants to carpool to help with the price of the gas to get there.

5.  ~Spiritual Health-  I am reading Elizabeth George’s book A Woman After God’s Own Heart.  It is such an awesome book.  I also have the study guide with it.  I like the way she guides you by asking you particular questions about what you read and what you thought.  Very inspiring!

6.  ~Projects- We will work on gathering rocks and building the walls of the rock garden.  The garden is outlined but most of the walls have not yet been built.  I am also going to finish the last of the t-posts.  I couldn’t get to this last week because of a hand injury.  I need to get a fresh bale of hay in the chicken house, ask my neighbor to backfill the retaining wall Mr. Muscles finished and build a second chicken run. 

7.  ~My cleaning zone this week will be the kids’ rooms.  Our May assignment for Organizing Junkie’s Monthly Round Up is kid’s rooms.  I am very excited about getting their rooms done!

On our yummy menu this week is:

  *Herb breaded chicken with black eyed peas, asparagus, fresh sliced veggies.

  *Roast with sweet potato casserole and green beans.

  *Tuna Salad (nice cold meal on a warm day)

  *Veggie pizzas

  *BBQ Chicken stew

  *Hamburgers with potato salad, corn and Greek salad.

  *Saturday night is the night Mr. Muscles treats us all to dinner out.  Woo hoo, no cleaning that night!

All meals are homemade and if you are interested in a recipe just let me know.  I will post it with next week’s menu. 

For more Meandering Mondays visit Tiany and for more Menu Monday visit Organizing Junkie.

Ya’ll have a very blessed week and don’t forget to leave me a comment.  I love them and then I get to come visit you!

~Rhen

Tackle it Tuesday- the master bedroom April 29, 2008

As I have posted before, I am participating in Organizing Junkie’s Monthly Organizing Round Up.  It is great.  She assigns different areas of the house each month and then we, the participants, are challenged to clean and organize that area.  It may be a spot in the area or it could be the whole thing.  It is up to you.

April is master bedroom month.  I was looking forward to this month for good reason.  As I have been cleaning the rest of the house my room had become the junk room.  The dump all room.  The store-it-in-there-until-later room.  It was driving both Mr. Muscles and I crazy!!!  Wanna see what I did?  Here are the before and after pictures.

Here is my side of the bed before:

and here it is after:

You may recognize that shelf as one just like I used in the dining room.  They are very strong, easy to assemble and cheap to buy.  Win, win, win!

Here is the shot of my vanity:

And here it is minus all the junk:

Here is behind the door that leads to the master bathroom:

And now it is cleaned as well.  The coat rack is behind the door. 

Here is my avalanche-in-waiting dresser:

Here it is cleaned, declutered and dust free:

Here is the cleaning in progress:

Here is my bed made and my room feeling all clean and great. 

That is my tackle it Tuesday for this week and my monthly round up for April!  To see more TT’s visit 5 Min for Mom and to join the round up or just see what everyone is doing visit Organizing Junkie. 

Tackle it Tuesday April 22, 2008

    

     I love Tackle it Tuesday.  Each week it helps me to get something cleaned and organized that is in desperate need. 

     This week, however, I am headed outside.  Not that my house inside doesn’t need more organization and such but it is spring and I have so many things that I need to get planted in the garden. 

     Right now I am headed outside to get to work in the garden and plant beans, corn, carrots, radishes, and so many more things.  I also have some transplanting to do.  I will take some pics as I go and then post them here in a little while. 

     What are you tackling today or this week?  Share what you are up to or just check out others and get inspired over at 5 Min for Mom!

Have a very blessed day,

~Rhen

Tackle it Tuesday April 15, 2008

    

     Yeah, time for another Tackle it Tuesday! 

     I am participating in Organizing Junkie’s Monthly Round Up.  It is an organizational challenge where each month is a different assigned room to clean and organize.  You can do an area or you can do the whole room. 

     April is master bedroom month.  I am tackling the whole bedroom one week at a time.   As I clean and organize each area I will post about it on my Tackle it Tuesday posts.  At the end of the month I will put them all together in a April-Master Bedroom Month post.

     Here is this week’s tackle.  Our dresser.  Our dresser is the catch all for us and the children and it does catch it all. 

     Before it is cluttered and so full of junk there is an avalanche everytime you try to remove something from it!

     Now the after picture is much better. 

     I went through all of the receipts and papers.  I put away all the junk that was just placed there and I oiled down it down. 

     It looks so much better!  I love to see the wood dust free and shiny.

     Now I feel much better.  Next, I am focusing on my side of the bed. 

     What did you tackle?  Want to join in or get inspired by other tackles?  Head over to 5 Min for Mom and check them all out!

Tackle it Tuesday- March’s Organizing Task. March 25, 2008

     I am loving being a part of Organizing Junkie’s Monthly Roundup.  The month of March was designated Dining Room Month.  Here is what I worked on: 

     How many people actually use their dining room and dining room table for eating meals only?  If you are a homeschooler, like me, then is much more than a dining room.  It is also a classroom, a science lab, an art center- you get the picture.  Let’s not forget a place to pay bills, sort mail, play games, put together puzzles, cut patterns, sew, eat and much, much more. 

     Since my dining room plays so many parts it also had the most junk piles of all of the rooms in our house.  I had to clear a little area at my end of the table to fit my plate for meals.

See the mess here?  

And here?

     I had no idea how I was going to organize all of this stuff until I walking around Target and saw the answer.  Here is the shelf I bought:

Here is what it looks like now:

     The shelf holds my teacher books that I am using now, some of their books, future projects, papers I am grading, studies I am putting together for them and such.  The bulk of my homeschooling curriculum is stored in a 4 drawer filing cabinet but I needed something that would keep what I am using now in arms reach.  This is much easier.  I am able to reach over and easily put away each child’s items.  They each have their own basket that holds their books, folders, notebooks and papers.  Those are stored on their own shelf along with neatly organized tubs of schooling supplies.  Now we all have somewhere to keep everything organized.

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      It has made a big difference in my stress level as well as the ease of being able to clean the table and the dining room.  Hallelulia!! 

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     What is your tackle?  Are you joining in the Monthly Round Up at Organizing Junkie’s?  Pretty please leave  me a link to your tackle/ monthly organizing post in your comment so I can come visit. 

Have a blessed week, 

~Rhen

I am having a contest and the prize is an awesome book.  To find out more click here!

Tackle it Tuesday March 4, 2008

I really have to say that this Tackle it Tuesday is almost a family project.  

Last week I showed you a shelf that Mr. Muscles was almost done making. 

Here is the shelf:

I bought a few more tubs for Short Man (9) to use to sort his belongings and this is how he organized them:

WTG Short Man!!

So what did you tackle?  Head over to 5 Min for Mom to share your tackle and to see what others have been tackling.  I always get inspired by visiting other blogs showing their tackle.

God Bless,

~Rhen

Don’t forget to check out my giveaway!!

Tackle it Tuesday February 26, 2008

    

Hello fellow tacklers and those just surfing the net!  Today you get a twofer.  A twofer?  Yep!  A two for one special.  LOL 

     First is my kitchen tackle.  I did this cabinet as a part of Organizing Junkie’s Organizing Round Up. 

     February was kitchen month.  Here you see my cabinet for storing pots and pans and their lids.  Well, it was chaos.  Everytime you tried to get something out everything would crash down on your hand and possibly come out and smash your toes. 

 

     Here is what it looks like now.  Sorry the picture is crooked. 

     Mr. Muscles put screws in the wood around the top so I could hang pots and pans from them.  Now it is much easier to find what I am looking for and keep the lids all together as well.  I love it! 

     It has made a big difference in my kitchen.  Woo Hoo!

     Now comes the second half of this Tackle it Tuesday.  This was Mr. Muscles tackle. 

     I saw a post on Organizing Junkie’s site about using cubicles to help children organize their toys and rooms.  We priced buying the presswood ones but found that Mr. Muscles could make a solid wood one for less than half the price.   His intentions were to make a cubicle but when I saw it like this:

…I just loved it.   I can use the longer skinny baskets or 2 of the shorter baskets side by side.  Oooh, choices!!  It is 4 feet tall, two feet wide and 1 foot deep.

     This shelf was made for Short Man (9) to put his stuff on.  You can see all his mess behind his new shelf.  Tomorrow he gets to start working on organizing, sorting and getting his stuff into the tubs I have for him. 

Is it sad that I am this excited over organizing???? 

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For more Tackle it Tuesday head over to 5 Min for Mom and check ‘em out. 

Don’t forget to check out my giveaway!