January room challenge... ideas? - Page 8

[majazama]

I am getting closer to my goal of doing my bedroom closet and the sewing room, but getting quite sidetracked along the way! I ended up today sorting all of the kids toys and spraying them with vinegar (disinfectant) and putting them away in my closet so that there is not always one massive mess to clean up in their room. Now they can have ponies, or dollhouse toys, or legos, or etc. and then they will have to pick it all up and put it in the bucket before they (ask me because it's high up on my shelf) and get a 'new' bucket. Hopefully this will keep my sanity level a wee bit better. The kids seem to actually like this idea. I think they were too overwhelmed with all of it before, and would absolutely not clean it up.

you should see my recycling and thrift store piles! I have barely anything left in my storage room too. I used to collect boxes for those JIC times. I'm going to post some things for sale on MDC... have you guys had any luck with that? I used to sell things on the old TP, but haven't used the new one yet.

[vm9799]

hey everyone. just a small update on our kitchen remodel.

we're making progess.....slowly. dh is almost finished with the building portion of the program, and while things were drying he started demo work.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmdesigns/3188940283/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmdesig...7601062319791/

and while he was doing that, i took some updated photos of our living room.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmdesigns/3189795200/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmdesig...n/photostream/

[sunnysandiegan]

Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan

Jan 7 - I had two appointments in the morning/mid-day and then a farewell party to attend in the evening. The party was last-minute and I needed to bring something to share. I looked through our pantry and fridge and freezer and found some drinks (specifically mentioned to me) we have extra of and brought them along. Less stuff in our house and others enjoyed them.

Jan 8 - Two playdates and an evening meeting left me with very little time to work on our home today. I did, however, return my friend's cherry pitter and pie plate from New Year's Eve. We brought her some pie and a movie (You Can Heal Your Life) that she and I watched while our kids (age 7) played together. They had a great time together and so did we! :

Jan 9 - DD pretty much stuck to me like glue all day long...like right on top of me all day type of day. I recall watching the same movie again with DD and then reading a book with DD most of the afternoon and evening, taking turns reading aloud. DH worked from home, too. While it was a "cozy" day , it was completely unproductive. Like someone above said, "priorities"!

Jan 10 - An impromptu playgroup get-together at the beach gave me an opportunity to give a bag of barely worn gifted clothes of DD's away to another little girl who is thoroughly loving them! : I also had a brand new hairbrush that DD was given for Christmas that is too big for her and really hurts her head... I had also tried it and also disliked it immensely. One of the moms LOVES this type of brush and was so grateful to have a new one. : I also returned a Mason jar to a mom who had given us homemade jelly. YUM!

Jan 11 - Today was a different type of "decluttering" day. DH had an eye appointment at Costco this morning. First one in 10 years and the doc told him he has the best eyes she was likely to see all day. We had planned for new glasses for him and he didn't need them. I was there simply to help him choose new glasses after I exchanged a non-functioning DVD we had purchased a few days ago. Aside from the replacement DVD, we walked out of there with nothing new. Ah, AMAZING! Later in the day, we attended a fire ceremony as a family. Each person in the group (25?) wrote out a list of the specific things (qualities about ourselves, beliefs we had, etc) we no longer wished to have and we tossed them into the fire. That felt celebratory!!!! : Each person then wrote out what we do want to create in our lives for 2009, including why they were important to us. We then wrote on a different sheet of paper what the potential obstacles would be and tossed those into the fire. (We have some homework for the next part of the exercise and then will be continuing with this work in the next few monthly meetings.) I feel lighter already!

[greenmom17]

Originally Posted by vm9799

hey everyone. just a small update on our kitchen remodel.

we're making progess.....slowly. dh is almost finished with the building portion of the program, and while things were drying he started demo work.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmdesigns/3188940283/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmdesig...7601062319791/

and while he was doing that, i took some updated photos of our living room.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmdesigns/3189795200/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmdesig...n/photostream/

How exciting - can't wait to see more pics. How long do you expect the kitchen to take? I hope you're keeping your floors - they are great!

[majazama]

Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan

Jan 8 - Two playdates and an evening meeting left me with very little time to work on our home today. I did, however, return my friend's cherry pitter and pie plate from New Year's Eve. We brought her some pie and a movie (You Can Heal Your Life) that she and I watched while our kids (age 7) played together. They had a great time together and so did we! :

Jan 9 - DD pretty much stuck to me like glue all day long...like right on top of me all day type of day. I recall watching the same movie again with DD and then reading a book with DD most of the afternoon and evening, taking turns reading aloud. DH worked from home, too. While it was a "cozy" day , it was completely unproductive. Like someone above said, "priorities"!

Jan 10 - An impromptu playgroup get-together at the beach gave me an opportunity to give a bag of barely worn gifted clothes of DD's away to another little girl who is thoroughly loving them! : I also had a brand new hairbrush that DD was given for Christmas that is too big for her and really hurts her head... I had also tried it and also disliked it immensely. One of the moms LOVES this type of brush and was so grateful to have a new one. : I also returned a Mason jar to a mom who had given us homemade jelly. YUM!

Jan 11 - Today was a different type of "decluttering" day. DH had an eye appointment at Costco this morning. First one in 10 years and the doc told him he has the best eyes she was likely to see all day. We had planned for new glasses for him and he didn't need them. I was there simply to help him choose new glasses after I exchanged a non-functioning DVD we had purchased a few days ago. Aside from the replacement DVD, we walked out of there with nothing new. Ah, AMAZING! Later in the day, we attended a fire ceremony as a family. Each person in the group (25?) wrote out a list of the specific things (qualities about ourselves, beliefs we had, etc) we no longer wished to have and we tossed them into the fire. That felt celebratory!!!! : Each person then wrote out what we do want to create in our lives for 2009, including why they were important to us. We then wrote on a different sheet of paper what the potential obstacles would be and tossed those into the fire. (We have some homework for the next part of the exercise and then will be continuing with this work in the next few monthly meetings.) I feel lighter already!

sounds great... you're really *clearing* things out, eh?

[vm9799]

Originally Posted by greenmom17

How exciting - can't wait to see more pics. How long do you expect the kitchen to take? I hope you're keeping your floors - they are great!

thank you! actually we're on the fence about keeping the floors. they look SOOO much better in the photos than they do in person. they are cheap vinyl tiles that have a "texture" to them so there is dirt and grime permanently co-habitating in them and they NEVER look clean. the kitchen door is our "main" entrance so these floors get very high traffic and i think i'd like to change them out to something more neutral. i'm not sure. as i said, we're really on the fence about it.

as far as how long.....i really have no idea to be honest. we have A LOT to do in there and we're doing it all on evenings/weekends. all i know is that this may just be my february room challenge as well! lol!

[JenniferH]

List of accomplishments this weekend:

-Cleaned out desk in spare room. I don't use it anymore and I'm trying to sell it, so I went through and got all the crap out of it, and sorted/tossed/boxed.
-Cleaned/organized walk-in closet in spare room. This is where I keep all my holiday decorations and extra clothes. I went through and sorted/tossed/boxed.
-Started cleaning out the walk-in closet in my bedroom.
-Got my DD to start boxing up her old clothes to take to the SA.

All in all, I fee like it was a productive weekend. I even got my tree down and boxed up!

I won't be home this weekend, but I have some cleaning to do before my BF gets here this week. I start classes next week, so we'll see how it goes from here on out.

[MamaFern]

:

wow. it sounds as if everyone is doing SO well!

majazama: rad! Ive been doing the same thing with the toys in our house. i keep them in baskets, wooden toys, soft toys, blocks, musical stuff, puppets and puppet theater.. then i let them choose ONE, and after they clean it ALL up, they can have a different basket. it sure makes life easier, and they get more enjoyment out of the toys.. otherwise, like you said, its just a huge toy explosion, which is hard to actually play with.
and yay on your getting your closet cleaned. its amazing how much better we feel once a few cluttered spaces are organized and clean!

vm9799: your kitchen looks destroyed! but what fun..a new kitchen is something to celebrate for sure!! i cant wait to see the finished project!

sunnysandiegan: your fire ceremony sounds beautiful!: what a great way to clear out and make space for the new.

JenniferH: sounds like you are on it! getting that desk cleaned out will surely help you sell it! now your energy is clear from it, it will be open for someone else!
have a fun weekend.

as for me..
my sister is moving the rest of her stuff today. im over the m0oon!
she slept at her new home last night and my kids dad came over for a movie and dinner last night(he lives just up the street but we aren't living together..but his being around was a HUGE issue for my sister, so its been very hard). it was almost date like. very fun and enjoyable. now its Monday..school and all of that monday stuff.. but im hoping to get a bunch done today..just not sure what.

[SAHDS]

Why is it that every month it's the room I pick that gets ignored while the rest of the house is being decorated?

UGH. I need to get my rear in gear on DS's room.

[kirstenb]

Originally Posted by SAHDS

Why is it that every month it's the room I pick that gets ignored while the rest of the house is being decorated?

UGH. I need to get my rear in gear on DS's room.

I was thinking the same thing as I work on my kitchen, DS's room, and laundry room while I ignore my living room!

[lightheart]

Motivate Me Mamas!!!!

Weekend was spent digging in the garden- didn't have to, but was fun. Today was spent cleaning up after a leak- a had to!!! I know the month isn't half through yet but I need to get to work!!!

[MamaFern]

Originally Posted by lightheart

Motivate Me Mamas!!!!

Weekend was spent digging in the garden- didn't have to, but was fun. Today was spent cleaning up after a leak- a had to!!! I know the month isn't half through yet but I need to get to work!!!

garden!? wow. how i WISH! i guess i forget at this time of the year that the whole world is NOT under 4 feet of snow like we are.. *sigh* i look forward to getting my hands in the dirt again!

sorry about the Leak. friends of mine just dealt with burst pipes in their laundry room. NOT fun.
sending you some inspiration and motivation!

[majazama]

Originally Posted by lightheart

Motivate Me Mamas!!!!

Weekend was spent digging in the garden- didn't have to, but was fun. Today was spent cleaning up after a leak- a had to!!! I know the month isn't half through yet but I need to get to work!!!

I'm finding that when I'm making my diet healthy that I am more energetic and motivated to get things done.

I've been taking shots of apple cider vinegar and it really is making me feel good. I'm also cutting dairy out of my diet and eating a lot more beans and rice. I've heard that "this clutter is making my ass look big".. and it's true (for me anyways)

oh another thing I do to keep me going is drink yerba mate. Makes me go

[MamaFern]

im SO happy!:

my sister came back yesterday afternoon and completely cleaned out her bedroom, so i washed the walls and floor and set up my daughters room.

it looks amazing. she is SO happy! she has been sleeping in my room most nights lately but last night she slept in her own bed all night long!
i wish i could show you pictures. its really a perfect girl room. she says its her "princess" room. even though im trying to dissuade the whole princess thing

i still have some stuff to put away and her closet to sort out, but im well on my way to being done the bedrooms now. my sons room now has a new desk and its opened up a LOT of space having a desk, bed and changing table less in there. his room is the next to make "perfect"

i also moved up this day bed from my sisters room into the livingroom to use as a couch. we have been using a futon mattress folded in half on the floor for 7 months,so thats a huge improvement, and it makes a cozy place to sit and nurse baby, or curl up and read a book. it also fits quite a bit under so im going to use it for toy storage! another i wish i could post photos!

things are coming along!

[vm9799]

Originally Posted by MamaFern

i also moved up this day bed from my sisters room into the livingroom to use as a couch. we have been using a futon mattress folded in half on the floor for 7 months,so thats a huge improvement, and it makes a cozy place to sit and nurse baby, or curl up and read a book. it also fits quite a bit under so im going to use it for toy storage! another i wish i could post photos!

things are coming along!

this is the EXACT same bed that my daughter has in her bedroom!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmdesig...7601062319791/

[rere]

MamaFern,

It's so nice to hear about all your happy home making!It must have been very hard to live with someone who didn't want your kid's dad around.Glad you got to have a nice date night.You and your kids must be so happy in your new/old home.

vm9799,

Wow!It must be exciting to get such a good start on your kitchen(although probably tiring and messy too).Can't wait to see more.

SAHDS,

I'm having that same trouble.I got to a certain point and lost interest in the rooms I picked and have been doing stuff to other rooms.Oh well,at least I'm getting stuff done.

lightheart,

Get out of the dirt and into the basement!Ok,really I'm just jealous that you have the option of playing in the dirt.But seriously just think how nice it will be to have a room for sewing.You can run down whenever you get the chance and it will all be ready to go.You'll be so happy.

And everyone else who is getting stuff done,

Good for you!and thanks for sharing.It's so good to hear all that everyone is up to.

As for me,I'm feeling good about continuing to get stuff done even if it's not in my designated rooms.I haven't given up on my list yet though.

[MamaFern]

Originally Posted by vm9799

this is the EXACT same bed that my daughter has in her bedroom!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmdesig...7601062319791/

my mom gave it to us..its pretty sweet. she lives in the city, so she brings stuff up for us from there when she comes.

your daughters room looks sooo prrdy! i LOVE that lamp. OMG. i wish we had an ikea around here. its so nice! (need more lighting..calling my mom now..) i plan to use this bed for ngaio when she gets bigger, but for a 3 year old its a bit overkill. it will be such a nice older girl bed though!

[rere]

Ok...I just went through all the art work from 2008.:

[SAHDS]

UGH! I've been looking for bedroom furniture for DS for maybe 5 months now and what did I find today? A desk for DD! Seriously, that boy is going to have some self-esteem issues, LOL. Thank goodness he only cares about his books and toys and not the sparseness of his bedroom.

At least DD's is done after I pick up the desk on Saturday

[vm9799]

Originally Posted by MamaFern

my mom gave it to us..its pretty sweet. she lives in the city, so she brings stuff up for us from there when she comes.

your daughters room looks sooo prrdy! i LOVE that lamp. OMG. i wish we had an ikea around here. its so nice! (need more lighting..calling my mom now..) i plan to use this bed for ngaio when she gets bigger, but for a 3 year old its a bit overkill. it will be such a nice older girl bed though!

thank you! it's the 3rd time we're redecorated and it's finally to the stage that it can stay for awhile! the closest ikea to us is like 3 hours away so we don't get there often, but boy when we do.....we tend to spend a lot of money!