It's simple, really. We go where the mess is. We live in a fairly large home. A 3 decker Victorian, on the second floor with 1500 sq ft and with 2 porches. That's 3 bedrooms, 1 really small bathroom, Kitchen, Pantry, Living room and Dining room. Those out there saying "well that's not that big", we came from a 2 bed 700 sq ft apartment first. We thought we needed more space, we thought almost right.
We did need more space, but in the form of a bedroom. Everything else was fine, we had just enough. I was swept off my feet by the 'green' movement and tried my darnedest to do everything environmentally friendly. Yes, I have reusable shopping bags, hang my laundry to dry and even make my own laundry soap. I changed all the light bulbs to CFL's and turn them off when they aren't in use. I unplug the electronics that aren't being used, turn the thermostat to 62 and wear sweat shirts. But what else can I do? We stopped using bleach as often, until the bottle runs out and then not at all. We use vinegar, baking soda, lemons and salt to clean with. We do not use anti-bacterial anything in our home. Ironically we are hardly ever sick.
Living in an urban setting we face constant opposition to our 'greening' plans, we can't compost, our garden is very tiny and our yard lacks full sun. Rhode Island is a state that only recycles #1 and #2 plastics, glass and cans. I think from this day forward I will try to only purchase things that have packaging that can be recycled or that composts. I would like to try a worm farm but we do have neighbors to consider. A compost tumbler would attract more skunks than we already have visiting our garden. Any suggestions from out there?
As for the organization mission, I took care of the living room. I need to find a temporary solution for dvd's, so Luke will stop distributing them around the house. Maybe a storage bin?
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
How it all began...
In July my Husband and I decided enough was enough. Clutter had consumed our lives. There were too many things going on, not enough space for things and not enough time in the day to take care of everything. I am a stay at home mom. I thought my life would have become easier after we made the decision for me to stay home. At this point to me, life had became more difficult. My name is Ashley and this is my family's journey to organizational freedom.
We have 2 children, Kylee is 5 and Luke is 2. My husband Jason is an Internet surfer, that's how he prefers to spend idle time. His real job is at a hospital he is the sole provider of income to our household. As I said before I am a stay at home mom and a student and I too someday hope to have a job at a hospital. We have a rather large cat named Bear and a 55 gallon fish tank with a half dozen living fish.
As I said before July was the tipping point for us. We had only been married for2 years but we had accumulated enough stuff to furnish a small mansion. Jay saw a post on Yahoo about Tumbleweed Tiny Homes http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/ , we laughed. As if to say who the heck does that stuff... then we turned, looked at each other and feverishly began researching how to do it.
Minimalism was what we initially decided on. It was just to harsh of an idea to impose on such a disorganized family. We eventually settled on just getting rid of the excess and moving forward from there. We started with Luke's room. We purchased a giant shelf from IKEA and we had some left over fabric cubes from a project that was started in the kitchen. We sorted through all the toys we wanted and donated all of the ones in working condition. We have wonderful closets in our home we decided to use them as they were intended upon. We relegated his dresser to the basement and purchased fabric totes to store some clothes in and hangers to hang everything else. Windows were washed, mini blinds cleaned and the floor swept and mopped. It was perfection! we couldn't stay out of his room it gave us a sense of accomplishment and drive for the next room. But life happened and we hit a bump in the road.
A good friend of mine hit hard times and needed a roof and a bed. I was happy to oblige and will never do it again. I learned quite a bit about myself in that month. I like my space. I like the environment and I really do not like wasteful habits, I am a frugal person and Jason and I get along so well. Our relationship not only defines the space we inhabit but the energy that surrounds us. I am thankful for Jason and my children. I can't stress that enough. But I digress... On to the next room.
Kylee's room was a bit more challenging, she is old enough to know what she likes. She likes it all. she had a tough time letting things go. We had to be strong for her but once her room was finished she was a different kid. She likes her room clean, and will for the most part, keep it that way. Again out with the dresser and into the closet. her clothes all hanging and everything else in fabric totes. Her floor is clean and again gave us hope for the rest of the house. For some reason we stopped.
School started for Kylee, her first year too. For me as well my millionth semester at community college. two classes at a time takes a long time! The energy of a job well done wasn't enough to keep it going all the way. We made some large furniture reductions and rearranged a dining room into our space but other than that organization has ceased until now. Check back in to see how we are progressing.
We have 2 children, Kylee is 5 and Luke is 2. My husband Jason is an Internet surfer, that's how he prefers to spend idle time. His real job is at a hospital he is the sole provider of income to our household. As I said before I am a stay at home mom and a student and I too someday hope to have a job at a hospital. We have a rather large cat named Bear and a 55 gallon fish tank with a half dozen living fish.
As I said before July was the tipping point for us. We had only been married for2 years but we had accumulated enough stuff to furnish a small mansion. Jay saw a post on Yahoo about Tumbleweed Tiny Homes http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/ , we laughed. As if to say who the heck does that stuff... then we turned, looked at each other and feverishly began researching how to do it.
Minimalism was what we initially decided on. It was just to harsh of an idea to impose on such a disorganized family. We eventually settled on just getting rid of the excess and moving forward from there. We started with Luke's room. We purchased a giant shelf from IKEA and we had some left over fabric cubes from a project that was started in the kitchen. We sorted through all the toys we wanted and donated all of the ones in working condition. We have wonderful closets in our home we decided to use them as they were intended upon. We relegated his dresser to the basement and purchased fabric totes to store some clothes in and hangers to hang everything else. Windows were washed, mini blinds cleaned and the floor swept and mopped. It was perfection! we couldn't stay out of his room it gave us a sense of accomplishment and drive for the next room. But life happened and we hit a bump in the road.
A good friend of mine hit hard times and needed a roof and a bed. I was happy to oblige and will never do it again. I learned quite a bit about myself in that month. I like my space. I like the environment and I really do not like wasteful habits, I am a frugal person and Jason and I get along so well. Our relationship not only defines the space we inhabit but the energy that surrounds us. I am thankful for Jason and my children. I can't stress that enough. But I digress... On to the next room.
Kylee's room was a bit more challenging, she is old enough to know what she likes. She likes it all. she had a tough time letting things go. We had to be strong for her but once her room was finished she was a different kid. She likes her room clean, and will for the most part, keep it that way. Again out with the dresser and into the closet. her clothes all hanging and everything else in fabric totes. Her floor is clean and again gave us hope for the rest of the house. For some reason we stopped.
School started for Kylee, her first year too. For me as well my millionth semester at community college. two classes at a time takes a long time! The energy of a job well done wasn't enough to keep it going all the way. We made some large furniture reductions and rearranged a dining room into our space but other than that organization has ceased until now. Check back in to see how we are progressing.
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