My house (and now apartment) is almost always a mess. Even when it’s clean it’s messy. Can anyone else relate to that feeling? This was our kitchen after New Year’s Day. Laundry on the counter, piled up dirty dishes, toys, you name it.

My junk drawers lived up to their name.

But then I found the 银河集团 Organization Challenge from blogger A Bowl Full of Lemons. Throw in a few episodes of “Tidying Up” with Marie Kondo, and I’ve felt motivated to get organized. (Well, on the weekends at least.)

Week One: Kitchen

Goodbye, counter clutter! You can’t imagine how much better it feels to walk in after work. Sure, the dishes still pile up sometimes, but aside from that, the kitchen feels so much bigger now.

I got drawer organizers as recommended by ABFOL (A Bowl Full of Lemons) and they really have been the game changer I think. When everything has a place, it’s much easier to keep up with.

Another change that I never would’ve made without this challenge is getting a lid rack. This one came from Target and it was cheap. My husband loves it! (He does all the cooking. I don’t think I’ve ever put a lid on a pot in my life )

Week Two: Pantry

This one was pretty easy. The biggest thing here was getting baskets that are easy to slide out. I put all my bread and open bags of chips in one basket. Baking and cooking items- like bouillon cubes, baking powder etc in another. Finally got my sugar,m and flour into containers for the first time since the move.

Before:

After:

Week 3: Dining Area

Well we don’t really have a dining room so I decided to tackle the cubbies in the kitchen area that tend to be the catch all. I promise it wasn’t THIS messy before. This was as we started going through everything… but it was still pretty bad.

Before:

We also used the time to get all of our Christmas stuff down to the storage unit.

After:

This helped get some of our glassware out of the cabinets. We also made a cubby for Annabelle’s crayons and papers, one for the dogs’ toys, treats and accessories, and one for our special documents, etc. Going to put a coffee bar in next to this area. Standby for that!

Week Four: Launch Pad

We have a very spacious hallway walking in and a cool nook, but we don’t take advantage of the space at all.

Now, we’ve hung a set of hooks that we can place our keys and the dogs’ leashes on, instead of throwing those haphazardly into the nook.

When I first saw the nook, the first thing I thought was, “a place to display my Emmy Award!” But in reality, the nook is awkwardly tall. I bought this very neutral picture at Hobby Lobby to fill some of the space, but I still think I need something more. Maybe a sign to go over it with something inspirational on it? Leave ideas in the comment section.

Coffee Bar Reveal:

I consider this area part launching pad/ part kitchen and dining. So used this week to also put my coffee bar together!

The cube organizer is of course from Ikea. The cubes are from Walmart. The shelf and coffee sign are from Hobby Lobby. I will tell you, living in an apartment, cube storage is LIFE!

You know, it’s not too late to jump aboard the 银河集团 Organization Challenge! Or if you’re already doing it, too, let me know in the comments below with your blog or 好了av四色综合无码 name. I’d love to draw from your motivation!

I had such a rough pregnancy, I could do very little. In reality, I was adding more messes because I was throwing up all the time! My SPD was so bad I could barely stand or put any pressure on my pelvis, so cleaning was out of the question.

That being said, after Hayden arrived, I was feeling better and ready to contribute… but now we are both on opposite schedules and caring for the kids alone while we’re 银河集团. So needless to say, we still need help. These are the five shortcuts we’ve been taking to control the chaos:

1.) Bleach Wipes

This is an expensive life hack, but I’ve found I keep my kitchen and bathrooms cleaner by keeping a container of bleach wipes in sight. Instead of pulling out cleaning supplies, I can just grab one immediately and clean up the mess. Otherwise, sometimes we were walking away and leaving the mess behind because of the hassle to pull out the paper towels and bleach spray. Lazy and more costly, but it’s helping get the job done ASAP.

2.) Vacuuming wood floors

I don’t know why I never thought of this when I had hardwoods before– but using the vacuum instead of a broom is quick and it does a way better job because it actually sucks up dirt and debris instead of just moving it around or getting it into the air. (Side note: My husband does get mad at me for trying to suck up the big stuff though!) It also saves my back from bending over constantly to empty the dust pan.

3.) Scheduling grocery pickup

This is another one that costs money, but it’s so worth it. We shop at Giant Eagle here in Pittsburgh, and it is $5 for curbside pickup. So one day a week in the morning, I make the grocery list on my phone and then schedule pickup for when Josh gets the kids. They bring the groceries out to the car so he doesn’t have to drag the kids in. I also think this saves us money in the long run because I have a more focused shopping experience, you’re not buying stuff on impulse, and you can plan meals as you buy the food.

4.) Making Meals 

This is also tricky with my husband and I on different schedules. We found we were both buying takeout a lot. Now, we’ve come up with a plan to work for us. On Sundays, we make a big crockpot meal that will yield leftovers that we can eat on Mondays. On Tuesdays, I make a meal that I can take with me to work and they can eat for dinner. Wednesdays can be a 12-hour day for me, so that is my takeout day and he usually makes something simple for himself and the kids. Thursdays are usually another crockpot meal that will be ready for me to take to work and him to feed the kids with… and we’re aiming for Fridays to be a family lunch date by his work– where I plan to take my leftovers for my dinner at work. I know a lot of you meal prep on weekends– but I just am not there yet!

5.) Splitting chores with my husband

This is the best. So the main chore we split is the dishes. I put them in the dishwasher and run it when I get 银河集团 from work that night– by morning, all the coffee cups and baby bottles are clean and ready for use. However, unloading the dishwasher is hell on my back, so when Josh gets 银河集团 from work he empties it. We do this every day and now we no longer have a sink full of dishes around and it’s easier because we are splitting the load. We also tend to split chores like– he picks up the toys, trash, etc. and when I get 银河集团 or the next morning, I do the deeper clean- like vacuuming/swiffering- cleaning counters, etc. It’s also nice because it makes us more of a team and less likely to argue about chores.

HOWEVER…

I desperately need help coming up with a system for laundry. I swear there are mountains of it in my basement. Clean mountains, messy mountains… Ahhh!!! We both hate putting away laundry. I suck at folding. I would LOVE for any tips with coming up for a successful system to beat this laundry beast.

Leave comments below or hit me up on 好了av四色综合无码- @birchtreescoffeebeans