Two Story House: Cleaning Woes

We're well over the three year mark of living in our first, and possibly last, two-story home. It still amazes me that 40 months later, I still consistently have to return upstairs, just after having come down, for something I have forgotten. You would think that considering how many times I have had to retrieve a hair bow, a hairbrush, a pair of shoes, socks, Jade's bay-bay, my cell phone, the dance bag, extra toilet paper, a library book, etc that my legs would be looking a lot leaner than they do.

Then there is the whole issue of laundry. As if anyone really enjoys laundry anyway, having to haul it up and down the stairs brings my loathe of laundry to a new level. Our master closet is right over our laundry room. We've toyed with the idea of putting in a laundry shoot, but Jerry is right, what we really need is a dumbwaiter.

In addition to those issues of having a two-story home, I also find it harder to keep things in the right place. Inevitably, things come down that need to go back up and vice-versa. My favorite is when various pieces of a toy or game get separated during the girls' travels. So fun.

Originally, our stairs became piled with everything that needed to go back up and there was always a little pile at the top of things that needed to come down. Seemed simple enough...when you pass by one of those piles, TAKE IT WITH YOU. But we all know that in a busy and often rushed life, that just doesn't always (ever!) happen.

When Kristen asked her readers to share their cleaning tips, my hubby's "bin plan" came to mind. He got smart and bought a large bin that we keep downstairs. As we pick up or find misplaced items that need to go upstairs, we just put them in that bin. When it gets full (or we get sick of digging through it), we haul it upstairs to our bedroom. In our bedroom we have 3 smaller bins. We then divide the contents of the large bin into the smaller bins...one for each of the girls' rooms and the playroom. Then each girl puts their stuff back in their room and we tackle the playroom together. If they are asleep, we just set the bin outside their door.

It works for us. Although admittedly, the downstairs bin is currently full and my stairs are piled with things. *sigh*

To see what is working for other people, visit WFMW (Works For Me Wednesday) at We Are THAT Family.

Blogroll news and other early morning ramblings

I just spent way too long doing something that I have been putting off for equally way too long.

I just put commas in different locations in the above sentence and no matter how I read it, it just didn't seem to sound like it should. So, grammar nerds--forgive me.

It is the wee hours of the morn and I am thinking that my girls aren't going to understand, nor deserve, my grumpiness when one of their monitors awakes me soon. Plus it is my hubby's turn to sleep in, so I will be doing it solo. I pray now that they don't wake up at the same exact moment. Boy, those mornings are rough!

Jerry and I are trying something new. Since we attend church on either Saturday or Sunday evenings, we are taking turns letting one another sleep in on the weekend mornings. Today, I didn't crawl out of bed til 8:40. It was glorious. Especially since I went to be pretty early too...before midnight that is.

The goal is for whoever is getting up with the wee people, to jump up and turn off both monitors at the first peep heard. Then exit the room closing our door behind them...quietly. Take the kid or kids, if both noise makers are awake, down the stairs for morning milk and some form of quiet activity until the other parent climbs out of bed.

So far, this little routine has been awesome. Jerry just needs a little more training. He tends to linger in bed a little too long when the alarms...I mean monitors...start sounding. I think he is hopeful that they will fall back asleep. Not likely.

Anyways, I guess all that sleeping in this morning tricked my body into staying up way too late. But, due to this energy (and a 11PM latte), I have blogroll news!!! I finally got around to updating my blogroll. I'm excited that I procrastinated so faithfully too. I got to use Blogger's new Blog List feature...and it rocks. You can just upload your Google reader feeds...which I'm sure would be so easy...had I ever really used Google reader. I had to type mine in one by one, but it was still a snap. The best thing is that it shows the most recently updated feeds at the top.

Go check it out...it's over there on my side bar. If you are a commenter here...you are most likely on it. I have found some fun blogs through comments. I feel like I might be missing a few though. My favorite list is messed up...or maybe I saved some to favorites under my hubby's user name. I'm not sure. But if I missed you, or you would otherwise like to be added, just leave me a comment. And, when you are updating yours, I'd love to be added!

The ones with an asterisk next to the blog name are my "real life" friends. You know, the people that I've actually talked to...face to face. And the rest of you guys...it sure would be a privilege.

Thanks and goodnight. Good morning. Good morning is what I meant.

Reclaiming Our Bedroom

Before our second was born, I thought I was so organized.

Actually I got organized quickly after a doctor's appointment at 35 weeks revealed that I was "ready to go" at any time. So we went through 3 years worth of clothes from our older daughter, rewashed them all, and put them in neatly marked rubbermaids.

0-3 mo
3-6 mo
6-9 mo
9-12 mo
12-18 mo Spring/Summer
12-18 mo Fall/Winter
etc.

You get the idea.

We have a decent sized master closet, so the neatly marked rubbermaids, were neatly stacked, in our neat closet.

Until one day I was downstairs and heard the largest thud above me. It scared enough that I actually gathered the girls and my cell phone and ran outside to call my hubby. I had to ask him who in the world he thought might have been in our attic and fallen through to our bedroom.

He immediately knew that our neat rubbermaids were no longer quite so neat. I made him stay on the phone with me while I crept upstairs to check out the situation. Sure enough, the stack had fallen and I had a good bit of resorting to do.

Pair that with the fact that just when I would get out whatever new size of clothes for Jade to wear, she'd only be in it for a few weeks and then already be ready for the next bigger size.

When I put Lily's clothes from last summer away (mainly 2T), I really didn't think that I'd already be digging into them this summer for Jade who is only 11 months.

Then we are also on a couple of people's hand-me-down lists, which I love...until I have yet another bag of various sized clothes to work into the mix.

There are also those fun moments when I find a random outfit in the back of the car, in an old diaper bag, left at the grandparent's house, or even Lily's MDO backpack when the season changes and she needs a new set of extra clothes. It never fails, never ever fails, that whatever little outfit I come across not only needs a good washing, but also needs to be put away in the rubbermaid on the very bottom of the stack.

So, the rubbermaids that once occupied our closet have somehow taken over our bedroom. I think I decided that as often as I was getting in and out of them, it was just easier to have them out in the open. The problem is that my two little helpers don't really read tags. The sizes/seasons are all mixed up.

Basically you have just read through my long list of excuses for why our master bedroom has been taken over clothes ranging from NB to 3T in various shades of pink.

Looks like there are 11 rubbermaids to sort through item by item by item.

I tell you...we really want a boy if we end up trying for a third, but with all of the effort that has gone into organizing girl clothes around here...I guess he'll just be wearing a lot of pink.

I have been putting off tackling this task for months. Then I read on BooMama today about her Before and After Bloggy Extravaganza. It was just the push I needed.

I'm embarrassed to post these pictures, but it is just the kick in the butt I need. Plus I needed another reason for my hubby to consider turning off my blog. The look on his face as he saw me taking these pics. Priceless.

So, here are my goals for reclaiming our bedroom:

1. Sort and reorganize 11 rubbermaids full of girl's clothing.

2. Find a place to stack them that won't endanger any of our lives.

Even if that just means a heart attack because of a loud inexplicable noise in the house.

3. Get this bassinet, and baby changing area out of our room. Seeing that we haven't used it in 9 months...I think it might be time.

There is even a basket of strange breast pump pieces that really need to go. Somewhere. Anywhere. Just not in my room for one moment longer.

4. Rearrange furniture to reclaim this space that our treadmill occupied until a few days ago. The only exercise it gave me was when I crawled onto it to give it a dusting every month or so.

While I'm busy making goals, let me wander downstairs too. Again, my husband is really suspicious about the fact that I'm taking pictures of weird things at 11PM.

5. I'd like to get my pantry drawers in better order.

I think the gestation period of plastic sacks is even less than that of rabbits.

6. Jerry recently reorganized these laundry room shelves. They sort of serve as an overflow pantry when I get too excited at Costco. He made a few comments that led me to believe he wants me to keep them organized. Labels. Labels are the only way that will happen. I bet I can find a good deal on labels at Costco.

I have until July 25th to accomplish all of this according to BooMama. However my goal is to have it all done by July 6th when we have Jade's 1st birthday party.

Because I know that all of our guests will march right past my precious baby to first check out my closet, pantry and laundry room shelves.

I just know it.