Simplify 101

I can’t say another word without thanking all of you for your beautiful and kind words.  You had some amazing things to say, and I truly appreciate it.  Luckily, I was able to spend time with family this weekend.  Nothing like baseball games and projects to make someone move forward!

Someone sent me an e-mail the other day telling me that my organization posts are her favorite.  She couldn’t have chosen better words.  While I struggle with the best of ‘em to keep a clean home, I like to think I keep it fairly organized—on Sundays—between 8 and 10pm.  I thought I might start sharing some things that I do to keep things simple around here.  Some of you have been doing these “tricks” for years, but others may not have thought of them.  What’s the harm in sharing, right?

First up?  The entertainment spot.  We all have something that looks like this, don’t we?  Just a Girl and her Just a Husband LOVE LOVE LOVE movies.  Unfortunately, storing them was becoming a hazard.  Something had to be done.

One of the best things I’ve ever done is get rid of all the DVD packaging from all of our movies and put them into books!  It took some convincing for my husband to be on board (as it always does), but he now realizes that I’m brilliant.

We have a DVD book that we put all the kids’ movies in and a separate book for adult movies.  Now when we want to watch something, we’re not fumbling through a mess of movie sleeves.  We just go through our books.

Of course, I have my own book for my chick-flick nights.  No scratches or smudged finger prints on these movies! FYI—we sold a ton of the DVD containers in a garage sale to a local photographer looking to put his CD proofs in a sleeve.

Next?  My kids are in charge of cleaning their own bathroom, so I make sure to keep things as clear and concise as possible when it comes to directions and supplies.  I found this little basket thingy a while ago, and it houses all the little sponges, broom, etc. they need to get the job done.  My point?  When distributing chores for younger kids, don’t give them any excuses for not doing it right.  Supplies need to be readily available and easy for them to reach.  That means less work for you!

Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard, “Mommy, I need a drink of water” when putting your children to sleep.  (Now put your hand down ‘cause you look a little silly sitting by yourself with your hand up in the air.)  I can’t TELL you how much easier it is simply to have little plastic cups on hand when my kids pull the ol’ “I need a drink” trick at the end of the day.  It may not seem like a big deal, but it made the world seem brighter to me. :)

Lastly, I know this is not new for many of you, but it made a world of difference for me.  When it comes to project or home decor ideas, I have folders upon folders of them on my computer.  The problem is that I had so many that I was forgetting what I had.

I pulled a no-brainer and simply started printing out my favorite ideas.  It is SO much easier to keep track of.  Plus, I can bring my book with me when I’m shopping for supplies.  I print out any directions that people give, and I highlight any features like measurements or brands that I know I’ll need to have on hand when shopping.  Hmm..can you tell what I’ve got on the brain right now?

Well, I’m off to bed after a long weekend full of lots of work.  Wanna know what BIG project I worked on this weekend?  Head on over to Twitter.  I gave a sneak peak!