New Year's Rush (December Challenge)

[AFWife]

What are those final things you want to do before the New Year? You know, those items that you really don't want to be stuck with when starting a fresh slate; or that room that needs to be organized before you lose your mind; or that task you've been putting off.

I need to do several things before January because that's my DUE MONTH.

So, my list is things like:

- Organize baby clothes

- Organize bedroom so we can all share it

- Figure out where I'll be changing diapers in the middle of the night (there's a mattress on the floor in the space I used for diaper stuff)

- Cook freezer meals

- Declutter, declutter, declutter

[VisionaryMom]

There are 2 major things I'd like to get done. One is getting the dining room cleared out. When we were homeschooling, we had shelves with homeschool supplies in the dining room, but those can move now. The other thing is that I need to get up this mirror & basket design I saw for undies, socks, etc. for both kids. I've started that project but really want to get it done.

[e13lorena]

• I would like to get my basement floor swept around my sewing area - I have some laminate rolled flooring I want to put down - it's just a small piece, but it will make clean-up easier when done.
• I want to organize and sort through my party, serving, extra dishes and party supplies
• Kid's Shelf - organized - it has all the craft and scrap-booking stuff on it, but the kids also each have a shelf and tend to just shove anything and every paper the want to keep
• Get all the cob-web, dust, and spider webs vaccumed and wiped off the ceilings and walls
• Move Bedroom around so that the heater venter is cleared fully & dust everything

I've got a ton more - but these are more immediate ones.

I

[sunnysandiegan]

Let's see....if I have a full month, what do I really want to accomplish?

~ Go through bakeware and pare it down. We regularly go through all areas of the house, but this one category often gets skipped because our bakeware is split up now in several places. Makes it easy to say, "Oh, it is a small collection, so I can leave it as is." I bet if I collected ALL of the bakeware in one pile, that statement would no longer hold true....

~ My aunt is coming to visit (staying with us), which will bring 2-3 more relatives to our house for several long days. It'd be nice if my DD's bedroom was rearranged and thoroughly cleaned, although not necessary because it is clean enough and we can find room for the two small items in the way of the trundle being pulled out. I definitely want to declutter and thoroughly clean the living room, kitchen, project room, backyard, front yard, powder room, and laundry room. The project room and backyard should be at the top of my list, closely followed by the kitchen, since we've been working on messy projects and both are in direct line of sight of our kitchen, which is where we eat and play games. The living room is next on the list because that is where we'll all hang out. The other areas will be relatively quick.

~ This is the time of year where I start crafting a lot in the evenings because it is warmer upstairs in our family office than downstairs in the living room. The family office needs some serious attention in order to have all three of us engaged at our respective desks and able to move around without tripping on things.

~ All the bathrooms could use a deep clean. They are clutter-free and surface clean, but the shower doors and track and floors and toilet bases are less than ideal. I'm washing all the linens in the master bathroom and powder room as I type. The hall bathroom needs the same. The walls and baseboards could use a wipe-down, as well. (One done, two to go...)

~ The only room that does NOT need a major cleaning is our master bedroom! LOL It is due for a surface cleaning, though.

~ As we pull out and later put away Christmas gifts and home decor and wrapping supplies, I'd like to re-evaluate what we keep and how and where we store it. Plus, I'd like to make a few more reusable items to replace the paper/disposable versions we use up. We're close to being done with this process, at least on the disposable side. In order to maintain that, though, I need to beef up the reusable options.

I think that is ambitious enough for this month! I better print this out and add the items to my task list... ;)

Edited by sunnysandiegan - 12/20/10 at 9:19pm

[OkiMom]

Heres the list I have for this month.. Some of it will be easier to get done than others!

I didn't get all of what i needed to get done in November done.. So,

November To Dos still left:

reorganize storage closet

order doll kits for the girls

tie dye:  big sisters/little brother shirts, playsilks for Christmas

Fix zipper on couch- Ughs, the zipper I was going to use doesn't fit.. back to finding a zipper!

Finish sewing Family Christmas gifts: need to make: 17 Journals(just 8 more left!), picture dresses(girls done, mine almost done!), then start on the girls/DH's presents

wrap all gifts

mail everything

Take family Christmas pictures

Then onto December..

December to dos:

Sewing things to do for Christmas: 1 left felt vehicles, felt sushi set, Story of Christmas book,  hair clips for stocking, dancing ribbons, car seat blanket (waiting to buy the carseat first, might be put off until next month), 3 stuffed animals, kimono shirt/shoes, 2 PJs, Apron, Diaper changing kit for SIL, 2 skirts/pair of pants for big sister/little brother outfits, Art Set for DD1, hair ties for pictures, Ring sling

Sewing things to do if time allows:  Changing pad covers, babysitter thank you gift, bag for camera/laptop, Mai Tie, Doll slings

• Get coming home outfit, DH and I both had a brain malfunction and he bought a short sleeve with shorts outfit which won't work in the beginning of Feb.
• wrap any last minute Christmas items
• Make a list of to dos before move
• start decluttering for move
• make song list, upload IPOD
• Declutter girls/my clothes, make a list of anything the girls will need within the next few months
• Make labels for movie container, type up list of movies for master list
• Work on baby book
• buy a bigger car (yea, our car isn't big enough)
• frame/hang pictures that are laying around
• find someone to watch girls
• find alternative to watch girls
• stock up on art supplies (running low, these two go through a TON of paint!)
• Plan activities for Jan-May
• Decorate house
• Clean blinds-
• book DD1's birthday weekend-moved to Martin Luther King Jr's birthday weekend, that way DH doesn't have to take time off.
• Freeze meals 1/2 of what I need to get done before Jan (I should mention my husband and girls don't' like to repeat meals to often, my oldest will actually tell me if Ive served a certain meal within the last two months.. she has a REALLY good memory): 1 pot chili, 1 pot taco soup, Shepard's pie, lasagna, chicken enchiladas, beef enchiladas, sloppy Joe's, meatloaf, baked ziti, baked spaghetti, (2) pizza crusts, , pizza pasta, open faced pizza burgers, chicken tetrazini, stroganoff, tuna noodle casserole, chili mac, mini meat pies, cheesy chili tops..
• Freeze lunch food- 20 rice and bean, 20 bean and cheese, 20 taco meat/bean/cheese, torn up meat for sandwiches, 20 ham and cheese sandwiches, chicken strips, bagel pizza bites, mini hamburgers
• Freeze breads: muffin mixes (only one left is banana and I need more eggs and bananas for that one.. the girls ate the ones I got to make them with!), 50 waffles, 100 pancakes(20 made), 50 french toast stick, 2 loaves of banana bread
• Freeze cookie doughs- 3 oatmeal raisin, 3 oatmeal chocolate chips, 2 chocolate chip, 2 snicker doodles, 2 peanut butter
• Freeze misc foods: 4 taco meat, 6 chopped up onions, 4 chopped up green peppers, 2 honey butter, 6 cooked up ground beef

Purple are this weeks to dos.

Its the second and I already got some of the stuff done!!

Edited by OkiMom - 12/15/10 at 10:58pm

[Alyantavid]

Oh I'd love to join in!

I only have one big project I want done in December.  Currently, all of our bedrooms are in the basement, the master bedroom upstairs is a playroom and the small bedroom upstairs is the computer room.  I want to flip the playroom and our bedroom.  In the basement, there are 2 bedrooms and then a big common room, which is our room right now.  I want the boys to have the run of the downstairs and we can have our room upstairs.

So some moving of heavy furniture.  I've decluttered alot recently and there won't be much cleaning involved, just dusting/vacuuming where the furniture was.  Oh and I have to buy a baby monitor so I can hear what they're doing down there.

[Lisoula]

Can I join?

I HAVE to get the laminate flooring down in our living room.....like THIS WEEKEND.  Yikes.  Must be done before I can decorate for Christmas.

Also....

Go through old toys and decide what to donate, since the kids will be inudated with new ones soon.

Clean off top of refrigerator.  It is a cluttered mess.

Fix vinyl flooring in bathroom.....I have new to lay down and just haven't done it yet.

There is a ton more....but I need to take baby steps :)

[doubledutch]

oh gawd.  everything on my october and november lists that i didn't finish (which is almost everything on those lists!)

really:

clean out / organize / deep clean library and get it set up nicely

same as that, but the old toy room, future bedroom

organize the new toy space

put up window plastic

a bit of tidying up in the basement, doesn't have to be perfect, but good enough to mop the floors

i also have been doing a godzilla amount of decluttering, but have not removed the items from my home yet.  so, big goal: get all of that stuff packed up and out the door, and most importantly, added to my 2010 in 2010 tally!  yeehaw!

[sunnysandiegan]

Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan 

Let's see....if I have a full month, what do I really want to accomplish?

~ Go through bakeware and pare it down. We regularly go through all areas of the house, but this one category often gets skipped because our bakeware is split up now in several places. Makes it easy to say, "Oh, it is a small collection, so I can leave it as is." I bet if I collected ALL of the bakeware in one pile, that statement would no longer hold true....

~ My aunt is coming to visit (staying with us), which will bring 2-3 more relatives to our house for several long days. It'd be nice if my DD's bedroom was rearranged and thoroughly cleaned, although not necessary because it is clean enough and we can find room for the two small items in the way of the trundle being pulled out. I definitely want to declutter and thoroughly clean the living room, kitchen, project room, backyard, front yard, powder room, and laundry room very thoroughly. The project room and backyard should be at the top of my list, closely followed by the kitchen, since we've been working on messy projects and both are in direct line of sight of our kitchen, which is where we eat and play games. The living room is next on the list because that is where we'll all hang out. The other areas will be relatively quick.

<snip>

Ignoring my own priority order, I started with the kitchen this morning. I quickly removed a dozen items that didn't belong in the kitchen. Then, I delved into the wood cart in one corner. I cleaned the toaster oven inside and out and the top of the cart. Then, I emptied out the cabinet underneath, reorganized the contents, recycled some items, and moved a few items to another location and put a few items from elsewhere into the cabinet. Repeated this process with the drawer, including dumping the random gardening seeds into a container of dirt. We'll see what comes up!

I was so inspired, I moved to the cabinet under the sink. All organized and clean now; I literally swept it out. I also condensed two bottles of dishwashing liquid and created a mild cleaning liquid with my favorite bottle. Now there is room for everything and the doors close properly!

Just to finish that section of the kitchen, I scrubbed the countertop over the dishwasher and the two items on it. I also straightened up the books on the shelf over the toaster oven. All told, it was about an hour of work, which is kind of shocking actually.

[L J]

Oh can I play? I really need a distraction, and decluttering and cleaning my house doesn't cost as much as retail therapy does! ;)

We are planning to move after the first of the year, though we aren't sure where yet - we are waiting to see where DP's new job sends him. So, there are things I need to get done in December that will make packing and moving a lot easier.

• Clean off the top of my refrigerator. It seems to be the catch all spot in my house for things the toddler doesn't need to get at. I haven't cleaned it off completely in over a year, so its way past time.
• Clean out and organize our "craft closet". This is the closet that all of the toddler's art supplies get stored in, and the very top shelf also houses my important papers. I need to better organize my important papers and set aside the things I will need to file my income taxes in January.
• Declutter my kitchen utensils. I am going to make a whole new post about this, because I really need help with it.
• Disassemble and store my computer desk and monitor - I never dock the lap top, so there is no point in keeping it out.
• Clean out my son's closet - put all of the outgrown shoes and clothes in a labeled tote, and have the shoes and clothes to grow into within easy reach.
• Clean out from under my kitchen and bathroom sinks. Yuck!

I think that's enough for one month, especially since its a very busy month anyway. But, I really hope to get all of these things done this month because I know it will make packing and moving so much easier.

[coyotemist]

I want to play, too.

Right now the biggest time takers are going to be decorating for Christmas and working.  From now until January I'm working full time, which doesn't happen very often.  Great for the budget, not so great for time.

there are only a few things that really need to be done.  More can be added as they occur to me.

~Clean the carpet

~More work in the playroom

[sunnysandiegan]

Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan 

Let's see....if I have a full month, what do I really want to accomplish?

<snip>

~ My aunt is coming to visit (staying with us), which will bring 2-3 more relatives to our house for several long days. It'd be nice if my DD's bedroom was rearranged and thoroughly cleaned, although not necessary because it is clean enough and we can find room for the two small items in the way of the trundle being pulled out. I definitely want to declutter and thoroughly clean the living room, kitchen, project room, backyard, front yard, powder room, and laundry room. The project room and backyard should be at the top of my list, closely followed by the kitchen, since we've been working on messy projects and both are in direct line of sight of our kitchen, which is where we eat and play games. The living room is next on the list because that is where we'll all hang out. The other areas will be relatively quick.

<snip>

My DD & I worked on the backyard today. We tended the plants, planted more seeds, transplanted our new broccoli, cleaned the awning, put things away, and watered it all -- including cleaning the chairs and grill. Looks lovely now!

I just spent ten minutes clearing off the kitchen table and living room sofa. Both had accumulated new belongings since Black Friday shopping (not only brand new things but also related items). I took the time to put them away properly, even folded a blanket...

[cyclamen]

In no particular order, I want to:

-do my Christmas sewing/stash burn/winter clothes sewing

-organize my fabrics

-clean the top of my fridge

-clean out and organize my food cabinet

-sew a plastic bag holder for under the sink

-hang curtains/sew curtains

-sew a shower curtain

-clear out the wardrobe and make it neat again

-put away all summer clothes, get out winter clothes

-take all that stuff to goodwill that is sitting in the car

-clean the car

-bake cookies

-clean the fridge

-deep clean the bathroom

-sweep and mop under the bed

-wash the bedclothes

-make pillowcases

-find a new kitchen table at the thrifty

-clear off the kitchen table

-get a fruit bowl

-get an inbox/outbox for my desk

-clear off my desk

-not completely lose my mind at work

[OkiMom]

This week Im concentrating on sewing stuff for Christmas and freezing meals. Hopefully I can make a dent into my to-do list.

[clutterwarrior]

I'll play...

1. Clear out the dining room, it's full of stuff that doesn't belong there.

2. Organise the spare room (make a start anyway)

Removing this one as I can't do it in December, will do in January.

3. Visit bathroom design showrooms to plan our renovation

Edited by clutterwarrior - 12/19/10 at 3:19pm

[sunnysandiegan]

Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan 

Let's see....if I have a full month, what do I really want to accomplish?

<snip>

~ My aunt is coming to visit (staying with us), which will bring 2-3 more relatives to our house for several long days. It'd be nice if my DD's bedroom was rearranged and thoroughly cleaned, although not necessary because it is clean enough and we can find room for the two small items in the way of the trundle being pulled out. I definitely want to declutter and thoroughly clean the living room, kitchen, project room, backyard, front yard, powder room, and laundry room. The project room and backyard should be at the top of my list, closely followed by the kitchen, since we've been working on messy projects and both are in direct line of sight of our kitchen, which is where we eat and play games. The living room is next on the list because that is where we'll all hang out. The other areas will be relatively quick.

<snip>

DD & I finished the front yard today. Planted seeds, transplanted some flowers, added soil to the other container plants, fertilized them all, whacked away at a bush we want to replace, and watered everything. DD swept the porch and sidewalk while I cleaned the welcome mat. This involved hauling soil and water from the backyard and returning everything (tools, too).

DH put together our new portable workbench, which removed a box from our project room. He also pulled a folding table out of the shed along with two balls DD is deciding if she wants to keep and he put the new folding workbench in the table's place. We've only used the folding table 2-3 times as a table, but many, many times as a workbench (awkward). Dad gave it to us. We're deciding if we want to keep it for camping and the random table use (with tablecloth cuz there is a big burn mark from a camping incident when it was my dad's). It is rather heavy and I cannot set it up myself, so we are leaning towards freecycling it unless my dad wants it back.

[sunnysandiegan]

I haven't gotten anything accomplished towards these goals in the last two days.

[OkiMom]

Ive gotten a couple of things done but not as much as I probably should be getting done to get it all done.. Maybe Ill have more energy tomorrow and friday.. we can hope at least

[zebra15]

I need to go through DS clothes one last time and take a good look at his toys/dvds etc before the xmas rush.  There are just way too many things in this house.  Then ideally I would love to steam clean the floors after a major vacuum.   Somehow I dont think that I going to happen..  However I did just hang some beautfiul prints from 'Fallingwater' (our trip was in April)....  I am a bit behind schedule.

[sunnysandiegan]

I received my aunt's itinerary this morning and need to get back on task! I have been "snoozing" my tasks when they pop up on my computer...  

Meanwhile, we have received several boxes recently (gifts we ordered and gifts sent to us) and our master bedroom became a disaster zone. Over the last few days, I have been cleaning that up. I worked on a major project in the midst of that, which hasn't really helped the house get cleaner and more organized, but it sure has been fun for me and is accomplishing something I have wanted to do for years!