Getting Organized in 2011 (Part One)

Before we get to my "Getting Organized" let's have a little Phone Photo Fun with Shannon, shall we?

Reading to his rabbit.

Jack's new favorite shoes to wear are his boots.  He'll bring them to me to put on him no matter the outfit.  His current fav is boots with his jammies.  He's such a trendsetter! HA!

Getting Organized in 2011

My house with all of its clutter, every cabinet and closet full, has been driving me CRAZY lately.  So after a little push from Daphne's post yesterday, I decided it was time to do something about this madness!  You see, Ran's house (where we live) used to be empty.  I'm talking the only furniture in that house was a couch, chair w/ ottoman, 2 beds, chest of drawers, night stands and a few computer desks.  There were no full closets or cabinets.  Only the necessities.  It was plain and I hated it!  Enter me, lots of furniture and other stuff and then a baby.  Our house filled up quickly!  Then came Jack's birthday and more toys and now Christmas and even more toys.  I miss the simplicity when it was just Randy's house.  So, I'm on a mission to get some of that back and make our home a little less chaotic, busy and cluttered.

Remember this picture from the other day?

Well, sadly, when my dad came to visit this past Monday my living room still looked like a toy bomb exploded in it! 

It really is was ridiculous!  Last night, the organizing bug bit me and I'm proud to say that my living room and even guest room and guest closet have now been de-cluttered and are now organized.  At least as organized as I can be.  HA!

Toys only consume one little corner of the living room.  This is progress people!

And look at that!  You can walk through my living room without tripping over 9 million toys scattered everywhere!  Granted, these pictures were taken after Jack went to bed and everything was put away, but I'll take a few hours of order when I can get them.  HA!

This is the armoire in my guest bedroom.  I wish I had a before picture because it was filled with random junk, extra home decor that I haven't looked at in forever and just odds and ends stuff.  I cleaned it out - most of the stuff will go to Goodwill, the rest got relocated to its rightful home - and then I had a perfect space for Jack's "extra" toys.  I sorted the toys into two baskets - one for the living room, one for storage.  I plan to rotate his toys every few months, so it will be like having brand new toys all the time!  Thanks Centsational Girl for that little tip!

I also cleaned out the guest closet.  Again, I wish I had a picture of the before.  It was a disaster!  Full of clothes I haven't worn in years, a lot of which still had tags on them.  *sidenote:  before Jack was born I shopped A LOT and bought things I might wear some day.* I moved the clothes I wanted to keep to our closet and sacked the rest up for Goodwill.  After getting rid of the clothes and stuff we don't want/need, I was left with a perfect space for extra toys and stuff that we aren't ready to get rid of yet. 

So, 2 rooms down, 8 to go!

That's progress in my book!

Next up:  Jack's closet and bathroom and the kitchen.

It is HARD to clean, pick up, organize with a busy toddler at your feet, so Daddy tried to occupy him for a little bit by giving him a ride around the house in the laundry basket.  Jack LOVED it!

How do you stay organized and uncluttered?

I'd love to hear your ideas!