Today's focus is on decluttering the Dining Room.  In our house, our dining room not only looks like a School Room, but it really is the School Room!  We don't have a set-aside dining area, as we do school much more often than we entertain! 

Here is the link to Mrs. Cat's post on decluttering the Dining Room (click here).

by Lori Seaborg

Just a few days ago, I said I felt like I'd been taken off the hook because Mrs. Cat's* focus was on the Family Room and I (pat, pat) have that room in ORDER.

Today, our focus is on the Master Bedroom and I have not only been placed on the hook again, but I have also been placed under a spotlight for all to see the fraud  that I am! 

Mrs. Cat says of the master bedroom (this is painful to write!), "This room should take precedence over all the others.  This room over all the others shows where you place your marriage in your priority list.  This room shows how we are feeling and exactly what we are thinking in regard to our spouse." 

Is there anyone else who has sore toes from being stepped on by Mrs. Cat??

Recently, I did get our bathroom and our closets cleaned out.  Tim was happy to come home to an organized closet one day!  I told him that I will maintain it as long as he doesn't purposely (lazily, I meant) mess it up.  He has held his end of the bargain, throwing dirty clothes in the laundry basket instead of on the closet floor, and I have kept the closet clean by peeking in there daily and putting clean laundry where it belongs. 

In our master bedroom, we have had boxes to be sorted stacked against a wall.  They were there for months, so I moved them to the garage last week. The boxes still have to be sorted -- I didn't really fix the problem -- but they don't need to be in our master bedroom while waiting for me to get to them!

If you are overwhelmed by the work to be done, just set a timer for 15 minutes and only work that long.  You will be so surprised by how much you got done in 15 minutes!

Here is the post for you to read today (click here)!  I am off to work on the master bedroom!

* To those who are just joining in, Mrs. Cat is a blogger who has great ideas on getting the house in order.  We are reading her posts for 21 days as we work to declutter our homes.

by Lori Seaborg

All I have for you today is Mrs. Cat's post on the challenge she presented (to not spend extra money for these 21 days).  Click here to see the post.

It is so easy for papers to get out of hand, isn't it?  I have a computer-paper box just full of papers that I need to sort through.  At least there is only that one box to do.  I've had a dozen at a time in the past.  

The #1 thing that helped me cut down on paper clutter is to take care of the mail the minute it enters the house.  I don't even open junk mail, unless it is from a company with which I already do business (I open those because I've been surprised in the past to have a refund check or an important note in what was disguised as junk mail). 

We also subscribe to few magazines now.   I wasn't taking the time to read them anyway, and then I'd feel guilty about throwing away something I hadn't read!  When you get rid of your magazines, take them to your doctor or dentist office.  Have you ever noticed how old their magazines are?  Ugh!

About the bills.....

What works well for us is a very simple system that we created after years of frustration:

In a three-ring binder (mine is RED so I won't lose it), I have:

• several page protectors
• college-ruled paper
• a pencil case (or use the binder's front pocket) 

On the page protectors, I wrote in permanent marker:

• "To Do"
• "Bills To Be Paid 1-15th"
• "Bills to Be Paid 16-31st" 
• "Paid Bills"

The college-ruled paper is kept behind the page protectors.

The pencil case is kept in the front of the binder.  It holds a credit card for paying bills online, a checkbook, envelopes, stamps, and a pen.

Now that I have the binder set up, here is the system: 

One sheet of paper is labeled with the current month.  "January 2006" is our current paper.  It is placed in front of all of the page protectors.

When a bill comes in, I write simple information on my "January 2006" paper, such as:

DUE DATE----BILLEE---AMOUNT DUE---PAID?---HOW/WHEN PAID

For example, when a bill comes from my phone company, I write:

1/08---Bellsouth---$47.00

The bill with its envelope wrapped over it is then placed in the page protector pocket of the date range where it belongs, which in this case is "Bills to Be Paid 1-15th." 

When I pay a bill, I simply write the following on the (January 2006) sheet of paper:

1/08---Bellsouth---$47.00---OL 1/01 CC (or PH Lisa 1/01 CK)

My codes:

OL=online; SNAIL=post office mailed; PH=phone-try to get the name of who took the info; TELLER=in person

CC=credit card or bank card; CK=check; CA=cash

I pay almost all of my bills online, and my email program saves the email from the company saying that they received my payment, so I don't usually write down a confirmation number on my paper. 

I then write OL 1/01 CC on the paid bill, in case I find it loose later and wonder if I've paid it (this step is not at all necessary, but since we have a mischievous toddler, it is nice).  The paid bill is then placed in the PAID BILLS folder. 

At the same time, I remove the last paid (Bellsouth) bill, because I know that they received the payment or the balance would have been off.  (I do keep medical bills longer if they have itemized information on the bill, because I've had disputes with the hospitals before, and have been double-billed for items.  If your credit card company does not have good online records, you might want to keep this bill for record-keeping, too). 

The "To Do" pocket is used for things like bills that come in too early to be put in the To Be Paid pockets, such as our Auto Registration Bill which comes too soon.  It is also used for forms that we need to sign or offers that we may want to accept.  Rather than taking time to do them when they come in, I let the offers or forms wait until our Bill Paying Day, around the 1st or 15th.  This pocket is always cleaned out on the 1st or 15th, keeping its clutter down. 

A couple of notes: 

I like to pay our bills on the FRIDAY before the 1st of the month and the 15th of the month (but making sure there is enough time for a snail-mail bill to get there).  Why Friday?  Because paychecks often come on Fridays, but also because creating a day of the week to think of bills helped me to form a habit of remembering to do them.  If it is not the Friday before the 1st or 15th, I am then happy to ignore my mind's reminder.

I used "I" in the above, but actually Tim and I have found it more pleasant to do our unpleasant Bill Paying task together.  Usually, he takes care of any phone calls and I take care of online payments.  He does the math, and I am the record keeper. 

p.s.  Here is the link to Mrs. Cat's post on Decluttering the Office.

by Lori Seaborg

I feel like I've been let off the hook today.  Our focus, in Mrs. Cat's posts, is the Family Room, and that is the one room that I keep continually picked up and clutter-free. 

That wasn't the case in our smaller home, and I think it had something to do with the plethora of magazines I used to keep and the toys that I'd store in the room and the plants that were forever being tipped over by clumsy toddlers. 

In our current living room, there is lots of furniture:  big fluffy chairs and couches to sit on and a big screen television.  There is only one basket in the room, and that is the one that  holds the pine cones for fire starters.  It is set near the fireplace.  Next to the t.v. is the DVD player and the XBox -- they are just on the floor.  A guitar and a drum are near the t.v., and there is a rug in the center of the room.  That's it!  It's a large space, but we haven't filled it with knick-knacks and tables and lamps and plants, etc.  At our childrens' ages, empty space is something they enjoy more than anything.  They love to set up the train track or build Lego creatures on the big rug in the Family Room.   

No coffee table, no extra bookcases, no plants .  We use t.v. trays when we snack in the room (adults only, except in special cases when we lay a sheet on the floor for the children).

The simplicity of the room allows everyone to enter it feeling calm and relaxed.  It tends to be everyone's favorite room to hang out, and I think that has to do with the lack of clutter in the room. 

If your kids are also young like mine (we have four under age 10), you might want to consider keeping your Family Room more empty than full, too.  This not only gives the kids room to play, but you'll find yourself less frustrated as you don't have to worry about them breaking things or spilling potting soil on your carpet! 

Here is the link to Mrs. Cat's post (click here). 

by Lori Seaborg

Today's focus is on the bathroom.  You can read today's advice in Mrs. Cat's entry, which we have been reading daily (click on this last sentence to go there). 

Here are a few of my own bathroom tips:

• Wipe the bathroom every day with a Clorox (or whatever brand) antibacterial wipe.  I usually use one wipe; sometimes two.  Wipe in this order, so that you are going from cleanest to dirtiest, as far as germs are concerned:  the doorknob, the light switch, the sink handles, the countertop, the sink, the toilet top, the toilet seat, and the base of the toilet. If you do this daily, you will never have to face cleaning a dirty bathroom again.  It will always be maintained and company-ready.  Another plus: your kids can do this easy job for you!
• Change the hand towel daily.  This cuts down on germ-spreading and is a minimal amount of extra laundry to do.
• The push-up Aquafresh for Kids toothpaste is a good one to give the kids, as it only allows them to pump up the right amount each time.  No toothpaste messes and no waste!
• Keep extra toilet paper in the bathroom, preferably within reach of the toilet.  This seems like common sense, but I've been guilty of only storing it in the hallway closet!
• Have the kids sponge the bathtub and shower area while they are bathing.  Just let them use one of those scrunchies (I dedicate an old one to this job) and let them use plain old soap.  It does a fine job and isn't toxic for your little ones.  When the shower and tub are soaped-up, turn on the shower to rinse. 
• Recently, I found trashcans at BigLots that are perfect for a bathroom.  They are plastic and have a hinge lid, the kind that swing back and forth like a big trashcan at a park or a stadium.  They were only $1.99 each and nestle right next to my toilet nicely.  I put a plastic grocery bag in mine as a liner.  These trash cans are very nice for your used Kleenexes and for your "monthly visitor", as they hide the trash.  (I've also seen stainless steel trash cans like these at Tuesday Morning.  Of course, they were much pricier, but very chic!

I'll keep us going on our decluttering again, starting Monday.  Have a wonderful weekend!

by Lori Seaborg

Honestly, I'd rather skip the focus of today -- the Children's Rooms!  Tim and I were blessed greatly with one little one who cleans spectacularly and organizes her room daily. ......  And then we have boys....two that don't want to pick up and don't seem to be able to organize.  I have them do daily chores, but they just don't see the messes!  Or so they say...

I've removed quite a few of their toys, but I've never done the drastic measure that Mrs. Cat suggests.  I'll take things away for a little while, then feel bad about it and return it to the culprit.  Mrs. Cat is much stronger than that. 

Read her entry for today and let me know what you think!

Lori Seaborg

Tim and I spent the afternoon in the back yard, decluttering it.  We picked up lumber and stacked it, put branches in the burn pile, and Tim even shingled the roofs for our goats and chickens.  Now I want it to rain, so we can test it out! 

We also moved the bunnies to be near the goats' pen.  This keeps all the animals (except the dog, Toby) in one place.  The goat pen adjoins the chicken aviary and the rabbits are attached to the wall of the goats' pen.  I hope they enjoy one another's company!  I think that moving the animals like this is a form of decluttering, as it allows me to be more efficient in the mornings when I feed the animals. 

Today's challenge from Mrs. Cat is our Front Porch area.  We didn't get to that at our house today, as we had our 2-year-old outside with us and didn't want her near the front road.  Feel free to adjust the challenges to suit your day, also.

Here is your reading for today!  Be sure to read what Mrs. Cat says about our goal of not spending extra money for these 21 days.  Enjoy! 

(a note:  I apologize for not getting this up this morning!  Tim is off work today, so I plumb forgot to blog it!)

by Lori Seaborg

Today is our first day to work on decluttering our houses!  Are you as ready as I am?

If you missed the Introduction to this topic, please click here to go back to the main page of my blog.  Scroll down to yesterday's post and start there.  You are not behind!  Especially not yet - we haven't really begun yet. 

Your first task today is to read Mrs. Cat's Day One post.  Your first assignment is to create a layout of your house.

My layout looks like this:

• Front Porch
• Foyer and Foyer Closet
• Schoolroom
• Kitchen
• Laundry Room
• Living Room
• Back Porch
• Hallway and Hall Closet
• Main Bathroom
• Boys' Room and Closet
• Girls' Room and Closet
• Master Bedroom
• Master Bathroom and Closets
• (I'm leaving the Garage Monster out of the 21 Day Plan for this time around!)

For the rest of the day, as you wander through your house, pay attention to things that you may want to get rid of when you delcutter.  Do you love the item?  Does it bring back happy memories, or at least not sad/mad ones?  Ask those questions as you decide what really deserve a place of honor in your home.

We are all working together for these 21 days, but since all of us have different rooms to tackle, and different messes in different rooms (for example, my Living Room is already clutter-free, but the Boys ' Room is a mess), we will work independently on each room.  So, as Mrs. Cat suggests, and as FlyLady does as well, work for 45 minutes then take a 15 minute break, working as you can on each area.  If you don't have a full 45 minutes free today, then just work 15 minutes each day in an area that needs it.

We will focus on certain areas each day as we keep reading Mrs. Cat's posts. 

Are you ready?  Create your Layout then start  your timer and declutter a little today!

I'm with you!

See you tomorrow as we start on the Front Porch area!

Today, laundry was introduced as a topic on the home page of HomeschoolBlogger.com.  At first, I didn't think I had a bit of advice to share, since laundry is my biggest monster also.  But I guess I do have two tips:

1.  FlyLady said once that if you have too much laundry, then you have too many clothes.  I've found that to be true. When we are still somehow being clothed every day for a week even though laundry hasn't been done in that long, we obviously have too many clothes!  (teenagers would disagree)

2.  Wash a towel or linen load as every other load. They are easier to fold and put away, so I find them less overwhelming than 2 loads of whites with all the million socks to be matched!  We have enough towels/linens to do this, since there are six of us, and I only use kitchen linens and bathroom handtowels for one day to cut down on germ spreading, and because we use many rag towels since our kids are outdoors with our goats, chickens, rabbits, and at our beach and river every day.

Remember to read my other post today.  I need some company in my 21 Days of Decluttering! 

I know we all have the excuse of the recent holidays, oh, and since today is Martin Luther King's Day, we also have the excuse of  a current holiday.....but, whew!, is your house in as much need for a holiday break as mine is??

In this blog at some time or another I've written out our family's daily schedule and a homeschooling schedule, and who-knows-what other seemingly wise advice, but in reality, I'm just a gal spinning her wheels like you are.  I have grand plans, but life, and four kids under age ten, somehow keeps me off balance! 

Our problem, I can see clearly by the stack of boxes in my bedroom as I type, is CLUTTER.  I think it was FlyLady who said, "If you have too much laundry to do, you have too many clothes!"  Well, I am guilty of that 100%! 

I hope I'm not disappointing you who regularly read this blog, but I think you need a dose of reality!  Several of you have written me and commented on how together I seem to have it, or that I am intimidating to you, since you don't have it together quite yet.  Well, like I say right on the Home Page of this blog, I am just the girl right beside you, not in front of or behind you.  I'm learning right along with you.   So often, we tell ourselves that others know all the secrets we don't know, and that everyone else has all her ducks in a row.  I've found that is just not true!  We are all struggling in one area or another. 

I'm committing to getting my clutter under control.  A clutter-free house is an easy house to keep clean.  I know, because I've had that once, when we moved to this house two years ago.  We didn't have any clutter inside (the garage did) and the house was a breeze to keep clean and company-ready.  Somehow we collected too much stuff in the two years since our move.  I want to have my decluttered house back!

I've sought out the counsel of others who are wiser than I am.  I have been helped by FlyLady in the past, and she has some great advice.  But for this decluttering, I'd like to try Mrs. Catherine's (a.k.a. Cat) series entitled "It Takes 21 Days." 

Are you in this with me?  21 days to a clutter-free house? 

If so, read Mrs. Cat's first entry, called "Who is With Me?" 

And then let me know who is with me! 

We're starting tomorrow, Tuesday, January 17th, 2006!

by Lori Seaborg

A Laundry Tip:

Folding and putting away laundry are the hardest part of the laundry cycle for me.  So I've found that at the times when I have LOTS of laundry to do (almost always), it is less overwhelming if I do linens (towels, sheets) in every other load.  Since linens are easier to fold and put away than the clothing of six different people, doing laundry this way gives me reason to procrastinate and grumble about only half of the laundry. 

A Kitchen Tip:

Clear counters make the kitchen look cleaner, which makes them seem to collect less mess.  I have found places for even my Kitchen Aid, toaster, bread machine, and crockpot in cupboards.  When we had a smaller house, I kept a few of those items in the laundry room.  This makes the slightly less convenient to pull out when needed, but I think that inconvenience is minimal compared to the time saved cleaning around the appliances.  Try it and see what you think.

A Bathroom Tip:

I've mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating:  If you clean your bathroom every day, you'll never have to clean it!  I buy Clorox (or non-brand) wipes.  Using just one wipe each day (two, sometimes), I start with the light switch and doorknob to the bathroom, then the sink faucet, I wipe the counter and the sink bowl, then the top of the toilet, then the seat cover, then the toilet seat, and finally - if the cloth is not too disgusting at this point (we do have boys) - I'll wipe the base of the toilet and the floor around it.  I've mentioned each area because I want you to remember something I learned in nursing school (yep, I pursued nursing for three years - but, no, I'm not a nurse):  go from clean to dirty, wiping from the cleanest area (the light switch) and ending at the dirtiest (under the toilet seat).

A Mopping Tip:

Tim thinks that one of my most endearing qualities is my ingenuity (resourcefulness).  I think he only likes it because of the money saved, but as long as I'm endeared, who cares why!  Yesterday, he caught me rubber-banding a rag towel around my flat mop head (the kind that is often used for dusting, and comes with a microfiber cloth that attaches to it with elastic).  The extra cloths cost $5 each at the store, so I thought I may as well make my own.  I walked around with a spray bottle of cleaner in my hand, sprayed the floor, then mopped it with my towel-rigged-mop.  It worked like a charm, and the towel can then be washed in the laundry. 

An Attitude Tip:

My housecleaning attitude has perked up somewhat ever since I realized that I really do have household servants like the woman in Proverbs 31.  My servants are:  the washer, the dryer, the dishwasher, the breadmachine, the microwave, the stove, the hot water heater, the mixer, and all the other electronic items that make my life easier.  Why, even the toilet is a modern-day servant!  All that my servants require is constant management.  They are quite lazy without management.  Each day I have to hand my servants their workload, and I have to keep up with them to make sure they are doing it well.  Some servants require less of me, like the Water Heater, who is such a reliable old gal.  She doesn't require all that the Dishwasher does, bless her! 

Do you have any household tips to share?  If so, comment them below!

by Lori Seaborg

by Lori Seaborg

Thought I'd check in with you all and say hello.  I haven't forgotten about you; I've just needed a little time to step back and reassess.  We've been helping the Hurricane Katrina survivors full-time for a month now (with Hurricane Rita thrown into the mix).  Since the need for our help is lessening, as more federal and corporate aid has been arriving in the area, we are slowing down our efforts. 

I've been operating with hurricane, hurricane, hurricane on my mind, and all of a sudden I have to remember what I used to do, pre-hurricanes.  Oh, yeah, I used to be a mom, a wife, and a writer!

Because it's easier to be goal-oriented when you have a buddy, I convinced Tim to create a list of goals, too.  We chose what we want to be doing, or have done, by December 31, 2005. 

When creating our goals, to get us thinking straight, we thought of what we'd like to improve physically, spiritually, mentally, professionally, and family.  For example, under Physically and Professionally, I wrote:

Physically, by the end of the year, I want to be:

- eating healthily

- exercising regularly

- sleeping regularly

- helping the family choose healthier eating choices

Professionally, by the end of the year, I want to be:

- submitting articles regularly

- writing daily

- working with Celebrate Moms

- done with my web site, so it is ready to go live by New Years

- have a publication or ebook done and ready for sale

Then, to make certain that our goals have a chance of being accomplished, we each wrote down a Plan.  On paper, I wrote down:

How to Achieve Goals: 

Physically:

1.  Eat breakfast, and eat every four hours (I tend to skip meals).

2.  Menu plan; keep pantry and fridge full of healthy options.

3.  Walk or do other exercise every day.

4.  Balance proteins and carbohydrates, and eat veggies and fruits daily.

5.  Read in bed by 10:30pm nightly (this is so I will hopefully fall asleep earlier than my normal 1-2am!)

Professionally:

1.  Write daily.

2.  Work on web site so it will be done by December 31, 2005.

3.  Submit articles weekly.

4.  Work on Celebrate Moms weekly assignments

Because I am a scatterbrain, and it takes only one pretty butterfly passing across the window before I am outside and chasing it, or one little baby who looks too cute for words and simply must have her photo taken that moment, I broke down my plan into Baby Steps.  I looked at my list of "How to Achieve Goals," above, and wrote down something I could do every day.  This is what I wrote:

"Each morning (or the night before), write down:

1.   What to eat every 4 hours for the day.

2.   When to fit in exercise.

3.   Writing assignment of the day.

4.   When to spend special time with one family member that day.

5.   When to fit in 15 minutes of extra cleaning.

6.  What we will do in homeschool, and when.

7.   When to fit in writing time.

8.   When to fit in website design.

9.   When to read.

10.   When to work on special assignments or special tasks.

11. When to go to any meetings or errands, if there are any.  "

So, last night, I looked at the above Baby Steps List, and wrote down a time for each thing on the list.  And that is why I am here, blogging, at 12:35pm.  Otherwise, I'd be off chasing the blue-tailed sphynx (sp?) that just walked across my windowsill outside. 

by Lori Seaborg

I regularly forget my order of priorities, but when I remember them again, my days run smoothly.  I wish I would stay on the right track all the time! 

I first learned the order that I use from author Linda Dillow in her book, Creative Counterpart, a book that I very, very highly recommend for anyone who is a wife and a mom!  My copy is worn from reading it over and over through the years.  Just today, I had my copy of Creative Counterpart out during my "God Time".  Some things, always the most important things, it seems, have to be repeated over and over to me, or I'll slip back into my old ways of selfishness.  Does that happen to you, too?  It seems that my brain has a leak when it comes to all things important.  Ah, well, at least we have books to read (such as the Bible!) to keep us on track. 

Here is the list of priorities, in order of first priority to last:

God

Husband

Children

Home

Self

Others, which includes anything outside the home, even church activities and ministry

In Creative Counterpart, there is a study section in the back that I am working through (for the umpteenth time).  Today's section suggested that we write a specific thing that we can do in the area of each priority. 

This is what I wrote today:

For God:  Be absolutely committed to a daily time with Him; no excuses, and no skipping!  Make prayer a bigger priority. 

For Tim (dh):  Don't argue; don't complain; each morning, think of one thing that I can do for him that day.

For the Children:  Spend time with each of them individually each week.  My schedule for this, is:  2yo: Monday; 5yo: Tuesday; 8yo: Thursday; 10yo Friday.  I learned this from a dorm mom I had in boarding school.  Even though she had 22 kids to be "mother" to, she spent individual time with each child once a week for half an hour.  I'm not telling my kids that I am doing this, in case the schedule needs to be flexible, but I will keep it in mind.

For the Home:  Right now, I need to work on Menu Planning and making meal prep an easier task.  Next, I want to work on decorating by visiting yard sales, and by doing what I can with what we have (scrubbing the walls is free to do!).

For Me:  Give myself permission to work on my crafts or reading (or long baths!) daily, without guilt of what housework I think I "should" be doing.  Permission granted!  Also, walk daily.

For Others:  Continue to blog (here!) and keep working on opening a website for other moms.  Minister through the Internet, as that helps keep my family first while the children are so small.  Also, right now I am helping the survivors of Hurricane Katrina through http://www.survivedkatrina.org .

I encourage you to also write down your list of priorities, and think of what you can do in each area.  Think of something that is pretty simple, so that you will know success. 

by Lori Seaborg

* The floor of my pantry closet was always messy because the onions
and potatoes kept falling through the wire shelves. ...Then our baby
would spill pasta and beans, and I would become so overwhelmed that
by the time I'd clean it, the potatoes had sprouted! The other day I had a bright idea (something that would no-doubt occur to  you without thinking) to put each type of product into a container. I used 3 baskets and a shoebox. The shoebox works great, so don't go out and buy baskets! (you could even decorate it, if you're so crafty) The pasta is in the shoebox, the onions and garlic are in a basket, the bags of beans are in a basket, and the potatoes are in a basket. The baskets are setting on my shelves, and I am so pleased with how neat it all looks!

* One of my favorite things is the wire over-the-pantry-door holder that we have. This holder has several shelves and hooks onto the door. It is fairly costly - around $30 at a home center, if I remember right - but is so good to have. This holder holds my spices, cans, and odds & ends.

* My pantry items are separated by type on shelves:

Top Shelf:  surplus and cereal (surplus being the extras we bought on sale or accidentally bought)

Baking Shelf:  Everything needed for baking: flours, baking soda, sugars, baking powder, salt, cocoa, syrup, etc.  And any packaged baking mixes like cake mix. 

Snack Shelf: Within the children's reach, but not the baby's reach is a shelf of snacks like crackers, peanut butter, honey, cookies, etc.  The kids are well-trained to ask first.  They can have "water, vegetables or fruit without asking".  You can get them to quote that, they've heard it so many times!

Can and Box Shelf:  Canned goods and boxed goods and pastas.  The pastas are in a shoebox or baskets.

Produce Shelf:  Three baskets, side-by-side, are on this shelf, one with potatoes, one with beans, one with garlic and onions. 

by Lori Seaborg

To help you get organized, or to help with your sanity, you may like to create a Household Notebook.  A Household Notebook is a place for you to keep menus, recipes that you often need, emergency phone numbers, party plans, schedules, etc.  You can call it a "Control Journal," like FlyLady does; a "Household Notebook" like I do; or "My Big Book," like my sister-in-law does.

I keep my Household Notebook in one of those white 3-ring binders with see-through covers.  I like my Household Notebook large.  You may want something smaller.  Don't be picky about this detail; just grab an empty notebook from your kids' stash, and do it!

Creating the Household Notebook:  Where Do I Begin?

Here are instructions from FlyLady on creating a "Control Journal":  FlyLady's Control Journal instructions

Here are instructions from OrganizedHome.com:  The Household Notebook

From Large Family Logistics:  Building Your Home Management Book

Creating the Household Notebook:  Pretty Pages to Add to It

I like my Household Notebook to be pretty.  I won't use it if it's too ugly to look at!

Below are some great templates for creating a Household Notebook.  Just print them out, 3-hole punch them, and put them in your regular-sized 3-ring binder.   These pages make creating your notebook - or adding to it - very easy. 

Click on the headings below for the printables (the ones with .pdf will open as a printable file):

Basic Planner Pages from OrganizedHome.com 

includes menu pages; empty pages; emergency numbers; pantry; freezer; party planning; the front cover of your notebook, and more  I use these pages often.

Christmas Countdown Holiday Planner from OrganizedHome.com

a great six-week planner to print out to help you plan for the holidays.  I think you could adapt this to any large get-together or other holiday

Financial Control Journal from FlyLady.com (.pdf)

includes advice and articles on managing your finances

Holiday Control Journal from FlyLady.com (.pdf)

includes articles

Office Control Journal from FlyLady.com (.pdf)

a good one for a work-at-home mom, but I think you could use some of its ideas for your schoolroom

Traveling Control Journal from FlyLady.com (pdf)

a journal for vacations and traveling

Weekly Planner and Menu Planner from The HomeschoolMom.com (.pdf) Click here for the FlyLady version.  I love this one!

Household Pages from Donna Young

Includes a greeting card register and chore chart (under "home") and even includes a half-size planner for those of you who want to create a small Household Notebook

More Household Notebook Charts by A Virtuous Woman

Includes various chore charts for different numbers of children; babysitter chart; budget chart; and other household charts

Enjoy the above forms, but don't get so caught up in creating your notebook, that you don't get it done!  I'll post photos and progress as I work on my own notebook.

by Lori Seaborg

Yesterday, I posted on Letting Go of Stuff.   I have received many wise words in the comments section of my blog, and want to make sure that you've had a chance to read and be encouraged by these ladies:

"A good spiritual application for this is how many things we have going on that crowd out what God wants to do in us. Keeping busy for the sake of keeping busy or just hanging on to old habits can really junk up our lives." ~ Glory

"I have been doing very well in recent years - at getting rid of things. I started when God told me to cull my books the first time, and the second culling was much easier. A lot of curriculum went in both of those cullings, and the liberty I felt at getting rid of things I really didn't need led me to get rid of more, even a piece of antique furniture I'd been hanging onto for way too long.

Still, though, just the other day, when I was pulling a few, last bits and pieces to bless a homeschool mom with, I caught myself hanging onto a particular video curriculum. This I'd gotten for myself, rather than the boys, and I thought that just maybe I'd want to pull it out and watch it again. It was a week later before I admitted I was still showing too many signs of the hoarder and pulled it out to pass along to her as well. " ~ Tammy

"I tell myself if I am serious about giving my children real learning experiences then I don't need these particular books and workbooks for that "one day" that I am sure will never come. By the way, that "one day" hasn't come to our family in 7 years! " ~ Belinda

"I kept all of my first dd's clothes in the event I had a second dd which I did four years later. When I went to retrieve two large containers of them I discovered they had mildewed. What a stench! Trust me, mildew is a smell that doesn't wash out no matter how many times you try. I love your perspective: hoarding might be depriving someone else of a blessing." ~ DreweLlyn

"Give and it will come back to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over!   I have learned this principle over and over and over. With nine children, so close together, I do typically hang on to clothes from season to season because they are just moving right into the next size. However, each year, I purge and try to keep only enough clothes that will fit into one cardboard file box. Each year, we have TONS of clothes given to us. God is so gracious!" ~ Cynthia

"Every August our church sponsors a huge "shopping spree" for the seminary we are closely associated with. They take donations from our church members and then set it all up in our gym and let the seminary students and their families come in and "shop" with special money we give them. They pick out whatever they want or need.
I have struggled with releasing some of my stuff, but I realized these students come here without a lot of things, and of course they can't afford to buy all they need. I've heard their testimonies of how God supplied just what they needed through these yearly shopping sprees. They look forward to it, and I have begun to look for things that I no longer use or need to bring them a blessing." ~ Robyx5

I hope you are further encouraged to let go of a few extra things lying around the house!  I know I am motivated by the words of these ladies!  

Maybe I don't need 12 Phillips screwdrivers after all...

by Lori Seaborg

I’ve been going through our school supplies.  We have a tiny wicker bookshelf that has to hold the entire year’s school books.  It is a hard thing to know what books have to go.

…Especially when the book that should be cut from the bookshelf has a tag on it that says $8.97…

…And it’s brand spanking new…

…And it says “grade 4” on the cover, and we have three children who will eventually be that age…

But there is just no way we are ever going to use it.  I mean, there is always the chance that “maybe we’ll need it someday,” but I’ve learned that “someday” doesn’t often happen when I’m wondering if I should keep or let go of things  (…Except tools.  It’s not that we need 12 manual Phillips screwdrivers, it’s just that we seem to need them scattered across the house, so that they are always handy - and always lost.  I’m a work in progress, so for now let me keep my tools!)

So, except for tools, I’ve learned that I may as well let something go rather than hang onto it with the off-chance that I might use it one day.

A friend of mine once kept two garbage bags of boy’s clothes in case she would one day have a baby boy.  Over 9 years, God gave her four little girls.  When she was finally blessed with a boy, she went to the attic and dug out the 2 bags of baby boy clothes.  A rat had been living in them at some point over the years.  The rat was now gone, but its nest – and the horrible smell – remained.  All of the clothes had to be tossed out. 

We were discussing how we’d learned to bless others with our stuff.  My friend said, “Nobody was able to use those clothes since I held onto them.  I wish I had given them away.”  She had learned a lesson that I have also had to learn the hard way.

How many times have you kept something, but later it shattered because it was crowded among the chaos in the garage, or broke when the kids decided to use it for their mock fights?  Have you ever kept your children’s clothes until they were musty?  Or books until they were so old that nobody wanted them?   We once kept a huge carpet remnant until it became moldy and musty.  We kept it because “maybe we’ll get a stain or a rip and need it one day.”  Not a chance!  When our carpet became stained and ripped, we bought new carpet. 

I used to hang onto everything until our 1200 square foot house with no attic, no basement, no shed, and no garage became filled to overflowing.  I was about to go crazy in that house with five of us (at the time) and all the stuff we had accumulated in a decade of marriage.  At the peak of my frustration, I asked God for some help, and He provided it through the writings and words of several authors and speakers.  One of the things I learned was to bless others with my stuff. 

God will bless you back when you give.

A couple of years after I had given away all of my maternity clothes and baby girl clothes, I became pregnant with our fourth child, a girl.  It is easy for me to doubt.  I have to admit that I panicked just a bit.  I reminded God that He promises to take care of us.  He asks us to bless the poor.  He says to take care of the needy.   He says He will clothe us.  Reminding God makes me feel better, so off I went to choir practice.

“Could you use some maternity clothes?” the girl next to me asked while we were singing that evening.  She was the epitome of the Hip Mom, with her leopard-print tops and velvet sweaters.  I was floored at God’s provision.  He not only provided, but He provided with brand new clothes that were way cooler than me!

Over and over I have experienced God’s provision after I let go of something.  It is as if I am making room for His blessing when I make room in my clutter.   

I have 2 theories:

1.  If you are wondering whether or not you should buy something, don’t buy it.

2 . If you are wondering whether or not you should keep something, don’t keep it. 

If you’re just beginning, my theories will be too scary for you.  I understand; I still struggle with this (remember, I can’t let go of tools!).  Try this:  box up some extra items from around the house.  Label the box “To Give” and set it aside for a week.  If you haven’t needed or missed the items, take the box (without opening it!) to someone who might be able to use it. 

Bless others, and God will surely bless you back.  I’ve seen it happen in my life so many times that I’m telling you it is absolutely true. 

 by Lori Seaborg

Three things I learned from Flylady when I joined her list several years ago (back when she had only a few hundred subscribers; now there are thousands):

1.) Swipe your bathroom every day and you'll never have to clean
the bathroom again. (I use Clorox wipes - just one per day, swiping
the sink first, counters, then the commode, from cleanest area to dirtiest). Your toilet will always be ready for company drop-ins!  This simple thing has been so freeing to me.  I used to think that I had to make a fuss over the bathroom, as in "now I shall gather various cleaning chemicals and then I shall scrub the bathroom for an hour." 

2.) Don't put it down, put it away. Flylady says something like, "never touch something twice if you can touch it once". I catch myself all the time starting to set something down "to get to it or put it away later." Then I remember that I don't want to touch it twice, so I'll just put it where it goes.

3.) If overwhelmed, set your timer for 15 minutes and tell yourself to just work for that long. I do this when cleaning out closets, or when I am looking at a dirty kitchen but think I'm too tired to
clean it. Also, when my house is way too messy, I set the timer for 15
minutes and ask the family to work with me for only that long.  We get SO much done in that little bit of time. The family seems more willing to help me when they know that there is a time limit set, and mama won't say, "Oh, and do this...and this...and...that, too."

by Lori Seaborg