What Moms Want To Know

WFMW Keep Toy Directions Organized & Neat

If you have children, you have toys.  And those toys come with lots and lots of directions and extra parts.  Those directions and parts can be tricky to keep up with, and you never know when you are going to need them.  So, I found a way to keep them handy and in one piece.

First, I put them in a gallon size storage bag.

Then, I punch holes in the bag.

Finally, I clip them in a binder, and they are right where I can easily find them.

Not only does this help us put when a toy falls apart or a battery needs to be charged and we can't figure out where the battery even is.... but if you pass your toys on to friends, donate them, or sell them at consignment sales, then you can pass the directions along with the toy.  Certainly works for me!

For more tips, head back on over to WFMW!

Getting Rid Of Clutter...Lessons Learned

1) I no longer run out and replace items just because I threw them out. 
For example, I recently cleaned out and organized our Tupperware cabinet.  In the past, I would have rushed out toTarget and bought replacements for what I had just thrown out.  No more.  I decided instead to wait, give it awhile and see if we really needed more food storage bowls.  Guess what?  It has been two weeks, and we have survived quite nicely.

2)  If I bring in something new, I get rid of something old.
My husband and I have been married for seven and a half years.  Most of our towels, cooking utensils, and bathmats, etc, were wedding gifts and  they have started wearing out. 

And since quitting my job two years ago to stay at home full time, I am much more careful about how I spend our money.  So I was just making due...until my mom asked me, very kindly... did I actually cook in the saucepan she was using to heat our spaghetti sauce?  All the scratch marks from the Teflon which had peeled off were a little disconcerting, so I decided that, yes, there probably were some things around the house that could stand to be replaced. 

So over the past few months, I have slowly been buying a pan here and a towel there.  (This way I have been able to replace all our worn-out stuff without a huge outlay of money, and it has worked nicely.)  Anyway, I make a point to throw out one old item for every new item I bring in.  This way we're not accumulating even more stuff, again.

3) Less Stuff Makes It Easier To Be Organized.
Less clutter makes it much easier to know what you have and what you don't have.  Then you don't go out and buy stuff that you really don't need, since you already have it.  I run into this problem all the time with spices. (Organizing my spice cabinet is on my (never-ending) to-do list.)  I frequently buy a spice that I already have but don't realize it until I've gotten home from the store.  With fewer spices, it would be much easier to see what I have and what I don't.

4) More expensive does not mean better quality.
I have learned this the hard way.  I used to believe that the more expensive product was the better one, so that's the one would buy.  I don't know if this used to be the case, but I know it no longer is.  One example is the humidifier I bought for my son last year.  I chose the most expensive one Wal Mart had thinking it would last the longest and be the most effective.  It officially conked out after about 6 months of use.  It's replacement is the cheapest one Target had on their shelves and it's been 3 months and counting, and if it does die soon, I'm only out about 18 bucks. 

5) Frees Up Money And Time Which Can Be Used On Experiences, Not Stuff.
If you buy less Stuff, you obviously spend less money on said Stuff.  This frees up your money to use on other things... like family vacations and college funds.  It saves time because you don't have to devote weekends to clearing your home of all the clutter you brought into it.

Cleaning With Vinegar

Here are two simple but very effective (and cheap) vinegar recipes I use for cleaning.

1) 1c. vinegar and 1c. water
Simply mix them together in a spray bottle.  I use this on my countertops and to clean the outside of the toilets.

2) Add 1/2 c. water to your rinse cycle.  
I love this.  It makes your clothes so soft.

Choosing A Toy Box

I'm thinking about getting a toy box to help my little guy store all his stuff, and have been researching them online and through friends.  Here is what I learned. 

Before you buy a toy box, think about these things:

1)  The Lid Should Be Light
If your child decides to climb in, make sure they can easily get back out.

2) Ventilation Holes
Again, if your child decides to climb in, they will be able to breathe.

3) Safety Hinges
Make sure it has hinges that allow the lid to close slowly, otherwise it could slam shut in their little fingers.  (I believe I remember this happening when I was little!)

4) Or, Forget The Lid
You won't have to worry about any of the things above and your child will be able to get more of their toys in the toy box if there is no lid.

5) Dividers Or Not
What types of toys is the toy box going to hold?  If it's going to be for lots of big toys, one big compartemnt is fine, if it will be holding small toys, you might want to consider getting one with small compartments or dividers.

For more great tips, head back on over to WFMW!

The Irony Of "Stuff"

Most of us know how good it can feel to go out to the stores, open our wallets, and spend, spend, spend.  We come home with lots of new stuff and it just feels good.  It really does... at least until the credit card bill arrives in the mail.

Isn't it ironic, then, how good it also feels when you clean out your house, load seventeen bags and boxes full of that "stuff" you bought (that once made you feel so good) into your car, and deposit it at Goodwill? 

It is truly ironic to me.  I spent the weekend, once again, purging our home of all the stuff we no longer use or need.  And this is the third time this year I have done so.  I really thought, after we left the first huge load of Stuff at Goodwill back in March, that Goodwill would not be seeing our faces any time in 2008.  Boy, was I wrong.  Not only did they catch a glimpse of us in March, but again in July, and we'll be returning this weekend to give them more. 

And we're not talking one or two small bags, either, we're talking about lots of Stuff.  Here is what I have so far to donate. 

And I am not done.  I just got so worn out from all my purging, I had to give myself a break. 

What I have learned from all cleaning is it just feels good to be rid of so much clutter.  As good, as I mentioned earlier, as it felt when I actually purchased it.  Most of it this load of Stuff was in places I don't even see often.  This weekend's big purge came mainly from the closet of the room where our next little baby boy will sleep.  It's mainly been used as storage, but as we prepare for his arrival, we have been cleaning out so we'll have room for his clothes and toys.  So, this is not a room in our house where I spend much time (at least for now!) and so I have had few occasions to even see this accumulation of stuff.  Even though, it still just feels so good to know that it is cleaned out and (soon to be) gone from out home. 

I have learned some valuable lessons through all of my cleaning out, some that have saved me money, some that have saved me time, and others that have made my home a better place in which to live.  I plan on sharing them in the next couple of weeks in a "mini-series" about Stuff and what I've learned from it. 

 

Tackle It Tuesday (Organizing Kitchen Cabinets)

For my first Tackle It Tuesday, I tackled something pretty small, but pretty important to my family's day-to-day activities... The kitchen cabinets!  I figure that we spend about 80% of our time in the kitchen, and my cabinets were calling out desperately for a little TLC. 

The main offender was my Tupperware cabinet.  (Or my generic Tupperware drawer, I guess I should say.)  I think it had started eating the lids of my storage bowls.  Does anyone else have this problem, or is it just me????  Anyway, the other day, I had had enough and went to work.  Here are my before and after photos.

Before:

 

 

And After:

 

I recycled all my bowls without lids and lids without bowls and anything that looked like it had spaghetti permanently stuck to its sides. I was left with far fewer bowls, but I'm not replacing any until I make sure I actually need them.  I'm thinking I probably don't.  The less stuff I have, the easier it is to keep things organized, I have finally figured out.  

I don't have a before picture, but I had a cabinet that was used mainly for things I only use when we have company over.  Those items were taking up some prime cabinet space in my kitchen, when I had items that I used daily in much harder-to-get-to places.  So I traded them out.  I put my glasses on a top shelf somewhere else, and I moved all my son's sippy cups and bowls to the "good" space.  Why I hadn't done that earlier, I don't know.  But it makes preparing his meals and snacks much easier.

  

Amazing how something so little can make you feel so much better.  It's really inspired me to keep going.  I have never been one to collect clutter, but after having my son, lots of things have just slipped by.  I don't have the time to spend getting and keeping my house in order like I used to, but I am going to try to change that!  I figure just one small change a week will pay off big dividends.  So, I guess I'll see everyone here next week.  Same time, same place?

For more Tackles, head back on over to Tackle It Tuesday!