ORGANIZING TIME

It is approaching the Christmas season, wether I like it or not. Don't get me wrong, I love the season and am excited for it. It is coming so fast in my life. You see, I want to get my photography buisness going so there wouldn't be as much pressure for Andy to work so much overtime and other reasons. I also want to get projects done around the house. These are 2 very time consuming things.

Daily chores and raising 4 kids doesn't go away when I'm working on these projects. Some weeks, I forget to go grocery shopping or do the dishes. I let all these things slide by, and I start to get lost in thought and it feels like there is too much going on that I just don't have time. I never realized how much TIME my photograpy takes away from my family until I sat down last night and calculated it all out. For 1 photoshoot, it takes roughly 8 hours from start/end. Projects around the house could take up 4 hours/day, and still be unfinished.

I need to get organized again and make it a way of life. Sitting down, looking at organizing my TIME will help me to get things done and not overbook my week. My time is so extremely valuable that inorder to continue to do photography, It needs to be worth it. I should spend roughly 2 hours a day with the family away from the computer and chores. Is 2 hours a day too little? By the time they get home from school, there really isn't that much time left in the day.
It all boils down to Focusing on what is really important and managing my time better. If I have to stay up later to edit pictures, that is where that time will be. If I have a project around the house, I need to plan to have everything else done before I start. That way, there isn't a single distraction.

Here is to organizing time....the never ending saga

SPRING CLEANING

We are now in our 3rd trimester. Is it a celebration? I don't know if I would call it that, BUT I am getting a little more excited about having a little boy. Yesterday I went to Turf-for-Tots and there was a little boy that caught my eye. I looked at him and smiled and imagined what having a little boy meant. And then his parents allowed me to take some pictures as I was clutching onto my camera waiting to push a button.

....I am off topic. But, my point is with this baby coming I have to get organized and find space for the baby.I can't just put him in the closet and even if I wanted to, I would have to clean that out.

I have started nesting...or spring cleaning. I think it's a combination of both. All I want to do is clean and organize all of a sudden. Yesterday, I worked on going through the EXPLODING MOUNTAIN of laundry, organizing it, and going through bags that have been sitting around the house.

MY SYSTEM: LABELING BINS BY SIZE AND PLACE ALL CLOTHES IN THE APPROPRIATE BIN. NO MATTER WHAT THE ITEM WAS, IF IT SAID SIZE 2, IT WENT INTO THE SIZE 2 BIN.

After labeling bins by size, I realize:
-I have alot of clothes.
- I have alot of clothes laying around that either aren't in season, or just simply don't fit the kids any longer.
-My kids don't have everything they need. This will help me to shop better and fit it into my budget.
-I also have a ton of clothes to find a new home. Girl clothes all the way up to size 2, and boys size 8-10. Please call me if you want to go through a bin :)


-Shoes have been a problem...the amount of them that I have. I have hung onto shoes that are too torn up OR I only have 1 shoe to the pair! Can you believe that?! It's time to "throw away" and I still find it hard to do this sometimes.

In the end, their closets/drawers will be more organized, the frustration of laying out clothes shouldn't be as hard, and doing laundry won't be such a chore.

TIME FRAME FOR THIS:
I have a family of 3 kids and so far it has taken me 3 days. So if you attempt this task, give yourself the space and time. But remember, I am 30 weeks pregnant, so I am a little slower.

Dinner Ideas for the next 2 weeks

Getting on a budget...a food budget has helped me to plan. After grocery shopping for specific items, I find how much easier it seems to make my life. Wow, I got a plan...and a menu...and I save money! Why didn't I do this before??

Ok, so I know I am not perfect, but I do know we have alot of meat in our freezer this year. This should make meal planning easier and my grocery shopping trips more focused. (I find myself venturing into the meat department because I get tired of game meat all the time)

A New Year might mean something to me after all. Maybe this is the year to focus on a budget. It might be good to even teach the kids about budgeting. Too bad my brother in laws arent a little closer, they could give me some good tips (since they are accountants). Anyways...

My menu, (for a family of 5). For the next two weeks under 120.00.
*Bought one and will use it for 2 meals. (A bargan)
DINNERS
taco soup
indian fried bread tacos
*ham (on sale right now at safeway for 1.49pp) and mashed potatoes
*ham and potatoe soup with rolls and salad
chicken and (rice&brocolli rice-a-roni), baby carrots
hamburgers and homemade fries (w/russet potatoes,olive oil, johnnies seasoning)
hamburger helper
lasagna hamburger helper
halibut and homemade fries w a veggie
fahitas
noodles w teriyaki chicken
moose roast with veggies/potatoes
green salad with grilled chicken

BREAKFAST
Scrambled eggs w/ ham
pancakes
oatmeal
2 bags of cereal (maybe...I probably won't make it 2 weeks :)
??
LUNCH
Sandwiches
mac-n-cheese
cup of noodles
grilled cheese sandwiches
salad
??

It isn't complete, but it's a start. Atleast I got the dinners out of the way.

Christmas List

This is the beauty of blogging you know. It helps you get your thoughts out and complete a task all at once. I know I need to get my christmas list done because every year, I end up with something I was surprised by. I talking like guns and pajamas with grizzly bears all over them. I know he tries, but in all reality, I need to make him this list. Andy likes the list.
Here is to organization. Things that make life less...hectic.

1. HOT TUB
2. New pots and Pans
3. New Knives
4. New Camera Lens with ALOT of F/stops
5. Ice Cream maker
6. Gift Card for some maternity clothes
7. the kids to be happy and not spend too much on me
8. Bunk Beds for the girls
9. A small TV for our bedroom
10. Socks. Warm socks.
11. Kitchen-aid

I think that is about it.

2006 PHOTO YEARBOOK

I finished painting the kitchen, school supply shopping, I am ready to start school next Thursday...so my next project to work on is my 2006 yearbook. This is a great Fall/winter project to do because you are constantly remembering memories that for me, is a fun way to spend my time. In the end, you have this beautiful book to place on your coffee table for guests to rummage through.

I know there are numerous programs out there online to create the perfect photo book, but I prefer the program picaboo. Just looking at the homepage gives me ideas and gets me excited for the finished product. I love how there are themes to choose from, hundreds of backgrounds, and layouts. But the one thing that sells this site to me is that you can download the program INSTEAD of uploading all the millions of pictures. It is just a matter of cut and paste.simple.

The first thing this week is to make sure I have all the main photos for the year. I would also like to get some family photos from other family to add to it. I'm wondering if it wouldn't hurt to leave some empty pages at the end in case you have some pictures show up down the road...hmmm.

Help me Doctor!!!

So I went to the doctor today and asked her a simple question. I said:
"I am moody often and don't want to be. Is there any specific diet that could help my mood?"

Now, I don't know if this helps but she said there are 3 things that factor in your mood and can help. Eat HEALTHY, EXERCISE, AND GET YOUR REST. If your tired, you tend to not be happy, so setting a schedule that you can follow everyday. I thought, this is a good time to change my diet and my life...so I just need to do it.

I googled "stay at home mom schedule" and found some very good tips on how to schedule your day. Not just for you, but for your family. I also found some good points to schedule bible study before you get ready in the morning.
Here is to Organizing your life and keeping your sanity. Doctors really do help, without prescriptions!

MARCH Organization Task

I struggle with my finances. Because I get the privilege of being a stay at home mom, my responsibilities include everything that is within 50 feet of the house, including finances.

So, without going into too much detail right now, I am organizing my finances this month. I know I can do better, much better. And honestly, this job is my responsibility and I don't know much about it.
So, the first 2 thingS I am going to do is sit down with a banker, track all my spending, ALL,and learn as much as I can.

TRACKING your spending helps to demystify money(...where did all my money go? I worked all this overtime for what?) — you begin to perceive it as a tool. You gain a sense of power — you no longer feel that money controls you, but that you control money. (How would that be? Heaven.)

Your awareness of your money habits is sharpened, allowing you to make changes to improve your situation. This is an essential money skill, and it’s easy.

BEING KNOWLEDGEABLE AND UNDERSTANDING helps me to know what I am doing wrong and right, where I could be saving or investing, and know that there is a future for my finances.
More information to come. This website has some great tips on how to organize your finances, but do you have any suggestions? Anyone?
PS-I am having a yard sale later this month. Couldn't do it last month.

YARD SALE ORGANIZATION (UPDATE)

A COUPLE POSTS BACK I posted that I was looking for ways to have a yard sale. Today I went around and did some research at other yard sales. Here are some things I have found

CLEAR ADVERTISEMENT OF LOCATION: The bigger the sign, the EASIER it is to locate. Write the address HUGE because when your driving, you don't have much time to be squinting your eyes and remembering an address...and staying on the road. This was a great "at location" sign!KEEPING YOUR CLOTHING UP ON HANGERS. What ever kind of rod or mechanism you have to hang clothes, it is much easier to dig through and see what kind of style/quality the clothing is in. PILES (like below) don't get as much movement and get "passed up" by more people than "picked up". Your clothing, IF PRESENTED nicely, could be a large profit. Especially if you have kept them nice.

SIZING CLOTHING-And marking the size by bin or labels. Just think how much easier it would be to you if you walked up, there was a row of clothes marked "Children's 12-24months" or "women's small".TABLES- Make tables if you don't have any. Nice to have tables with items alike. A whole section with kids, kitchen, books/videos,living room, linens?,fishing?,and whatever else you have a COLLECTION of. Tables are good for mass quantities and makes it easy to go through.MAKE IT FUN-Let the kids take part! There are alot of families that enjoy yard sales and the kids pick up random things that you don't want. (Trey came home with a vacuum today!?? I told him to take it back. I'm so mean.) Also along the lines of having fun, let your kids participate by setting up a hot dog/lemonade stand and learn how to be a good sales man! Hey there kids. I'm sure they will do good.
MORE RESEARCH TO COME IN THE FOLLOWING LINKS. CLICK ON MY ORGANIZATION BUTTON FOR UPDATES OR FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD TO FIND YOUR WAY BACK TO KANSAS.

organization task for the month

My plan was to get up and start working on my organizational task for the month. However, I looked out the window and saw 5 extra inches of snow. I swear, I am never going to see green grass here. More or less, be able to have a yard sale.
So, my organizational task is to prepare for a yard sale. Any suggestions to prepare for? I have never had my own yard sale. I could take any help because really, I don't know where to begin.

Saturdays and activities

Saturday seems so busy lately...which reminds me I forgot about playgroup this Saturday,..but anyways, the kids have activities, however it is also the day for them to clean their room. The rooms got clean and everyone was having a good day.

At noon, we packed up in the car and went to Treys basketball game. This is a challenge for me: keeping the other 2 busy at the game and keeping them off the court.

ThIS GAME WAS A LITTLE SPECIAL. I wanted to take pictures so I asked a random grandma to hold Mattie for about 5 minutes. It worked out great and am working on good action shots. I think I need a new camera because I want my pictures to be better. Seriously...I want to do sport photography. I love the intensity and the skills put into sports...captureing it on film is even better.

So, Trey was a star stud in the game. I had the opportunity to be a proud mamma! It is an awesome feeling. I can't wait until baseball... as much as he likes it. He surprises me with how much skill he has. He was rebounding, making awesome shots, and was really on fire.

FEBRUARY ORGANIZATION TASK!!

JANUARY IS PAST...and my goal for January was to get my laundry organized. I have to say, I succeeded. All the closets are cleaned out and organized, the laundry has shrunk by 50%, and each child now has there own laundry baskets in there rooms. I don't feel so overwhelmed by the laundry now...but that isn't to say, it isn't done! I still have to continue to keep it up.

THIS MONTHS ORGANIZATION TASK has been a lot of fun. Organizing my photos!

Why would I start this? Because of the fear of lossing pictures and getting so far behind that I won't know where to begin. Are you this way right now? THEN THIS IS A TASK FOR YOU!!

THIS IS CALLED THE BLACK CHERRY EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE. It holds 232 GB of hard drive space and hooks right up to your computer for easy portability. Here are reasons why this is the way to go:

If there is ever a fire, you just grab your external hard drive; it holds a million pictures and is easy to use; you don't have to use all those stacks of disks anymore; if you want to print pictures anywhere just plug and print!!! This is the best for photos.

1. The first thing I did was CREATE FOLDERS on the portable hard drive by year...(2003,2004,2005, ect).
2. I have 3 big boxes of pictures that are completely unorganized with envelopes of pictures just thrown in. What do you do with all the pictures that aren't on CD? As your going through all the boxes, put all your slides/negatives in one envelope. You might have a lot so make it easier by using more than one envelope. Once you are ready, run your negatives over to Walmart or Costco and have them put them on a CD.

3. EACH CD YOU HAVE, insert it into the drive and download it into the correct year. Take your time, but make sure you don't do things twice.

4. VIDEOS-do the same thing! Label a folder under the year as "Video". This is a good way to keep track of the videos/year. Some of your videos you will find are not on disk and are on tape. Did you know, There are companies that will convert it for you for a reasonable price? I know I have some home videos on VHS that I will eventually send

Drop off locations for video from VHS/8mm/camcorder tapes: Walmart;Costco: Rite-Aid

I HOPE THIS WILL MAKE MY LIFE EASIER IN THE FUTURE.
THE JOYS OF BEING A STAY AT HOME MOM.


FEBRUARY IS HERE! Time for Valentines day and Vacations!!! I am counting down the days. The family is flying to Washington for 5 days and then the Arizona for 9. You don't even know how much it is needed.


LET ME TRY TO EXPLAIN HOW MUCH SUN IS NEEDED. Have you ever craved something like your favorite kind of Ice cream? Or chocolate cake? Or even Sex? Your body actually craves the sunshine and you just can't get it. IT IS SO FRUSTRATING, AND DEPRESSING. But, there is hope in sight, and that is what I look forward to.

OUT WITH THE OLD

ITS a new year! 2009! Hopefully it will be a good year for me before 2010. This is the year of advancement for me. Everyone has something they want to accomplish and new years is a good time to start.

You are probably looking at this pair of jeans thinking I want to fit into them. Actually these jeans are a size 8 and are about 8 years old

My goal is to get my laundry organized and get rid of the majority of the clothing. There is way too much. This pair of jeans have so many holes in them so why keep hanging on to them? It is time for change and minimizing my laundry will help my life.

This is my laundry pile! It is out of control. But there is hope in sight and something the kids can be happy about.

If you have a goal you think you want to accomplish, don't give up on it. Change doesn't happen overnight but once you do the change, your life will be better and create happiness. If you have a family, it will even bring happiness to them what ever goal it is. Test it out!
WELL, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.

A couple of things that will be done by 2010 is one: I will be more organized. I started this program called discoverorganization.com about 6 months ago and it has changed my life dramatically. I now have a place to start and tools to use along the way.