Happy Friday! Anyone setting aside time to make some paper piles this weekend? If you are I might be stopping by. Call me crazy but that’s my idea of a good time. Ha. I hope my last post was helpful if you need to get your paper/home office set up whipped into shape! My office is looking a little different than the pictures I just shared. If you hang out with me on IG stories you’ve probably already seen my new office paint! I was debating between about 10 different shades of green.
It kind of made me smile when I realized that I had picked up shades of green that matched my planner, my binder and about 10 different shirts I own. Clearly I’m drawn to this shade! I finally narrowed it down to one and I’m so happy with how it turned out!
The winner? Sherwin Williams “Quietude” at 50%. I tried it at 75% and 25% too.. because I’m tricky like that. But 50% was hands down the winner. Not too dark.. not too light. Green with a grey tone (which was what I wanted) but not so much that it looks more grey than green.
Ignore the Christmas rug. I took these pics right after the paint was dry and hadn’t switched out the rug yet!
I can’t wait to decorate and I’m kicking things off with my new office rug! My kids spend as much time in this room as I do so I wanted something that felt fun. I also wanted a rug that complimented the new green paint, but was neutral enough that it would work with any other colors/decor I decide to decorate with. This woven tacha rug is perfect and even more beautiful in person. So much texture and I love the rose gold stripes! I think I’m going to need a rug pad under it to flatten it completely but this table is SO heavy! I’m not sure I can convince Kenny to lift it for me again.. ha. *Sidenote because I get asked about this table a lot.. I had it made custom when we built the house. I sketched the legs and my carpenter made them and then we put a quartz slab on top. Hence the reason it’s SO heavy. :)
I hope you like the changes so far! I know some people like the blue paint better and that’s ok. For me this green paint is a welcome change. It feels calm and so me.. like I’m coming home. :) I desperately need some new barstools. The seats on our previous barstools in this room completely peeled off! They were inexpensive from Home Goods so I guess I’m lucky they lasted as long as they did. We’ve been pulling our kitchen barstools in this room to use temporarily and the back and forth is getting a little old. :) I’ll share the new barstools when I find them and other office progress along the way!
If you are working on your home office and paper organization with me this week and need a few storage solutions I found so many great options! Both for paper and also for overall office organization. I lined them all below!
I’ve unpacked our bags and am ready to get back into our Get Organized Challenge! This week we are tackling home office/paper organization. Let’s do this. :) If you are drowning in paper.. I see you. And I feel your pain. Ha. Seriously though.. the struggle with paper management is real! If you don’t have a good system set up paper can take over your life! Ok.. maybe that’s a little dramatic. But it can certainly make you feel frustrated, unorganized and unproductive. In our previous house I didn’t have a home office. I was ruthless about what I kept when it came to paper (and everything else!) and I was pretty organized in that area. (I’ll share my past system later in this post!) My current home has more storage so when we moved into this house I slowly became lazy when it came to paper management and before I knew it I felt so overwhelmed by it all. I had paper files and piles scattered everywhere and my brain felt as scattered as my paper.
If you feel the same.. follow the steps below and finally tackle paper once and for all!
1. Set aside some time to work on this. You all know I’m a huge fan of organizing 15 minutes a day, but to really tackle paper (especially if you’ve been putting this one off!) you need to set aside some time. Several hours at least. If things are really out of control block out a full afternoon/evening for this job.
2. Round up ALL THE PAPER. All of it. Every single page! Go through your house and collect it all and then find a spot to dump it.
My go-to is always on my family room floor in front of the TV. This is the perfect activity to do with a movie/series on in the background. I always prefer something I love that I’ve already watched. The TV isn’t getting my full attention, but it’s there to keep me company while I work. A bowl of popcorn never hurts either. :) I always lay down a blanket to keep my rug clean. This pic is from a few years ago when I finally tackled the paper piles in our house.
Told you I see you and feel your pain. :)
3. Take a deep breath and pick up your first piece of paper! Can you recycle it? Or do you need to keep it? Is it something for one of your kids? A bill? A receipt? Medical? A future project? Write it down. You just made your first category. Write it down on a stickynote and add any other papers that fit in that same category.
Continue doing this until you’ve gone through every single piece of paper! You can see my labeled categories above and the sack of paper to recycle next to it. I also made a pile of paper I wanted to shred.
*Obviously the goal is to RECYCLE as much as possible so only keep things that are really important. So much is digital these days so you really don’t need to keep much! I know some people have gone completely paperless which is amazing. You can always scan paper you want to keep and organize it all on your computer. I personally like keeping certain things on paper in my files and will always prefer a hand written to-do list over a list in notes on my phone, but do whatever works best for you. Most importantly come up with a system you can easily maintain over time.
4. Now look at your files and decide which papers you can tuck away. The papers you only need once in a while are the papers to put in hanging file folders. These are the files I used above and they come in lots of colors. I linked some other fun options below!
Then label everything, place them in a filing drawer, cabinet, bin or box and you’re set!
My husband and I both have filing drawers in our offices. He keeps all of our financial papers/taxes in his filing drawers and I manage all of the kids’ stuff, medical and any other miscellaneous papers.
In our previous house we didn’t have a home office or room for filing drawers or a filing cabinet so I used this crate for important papers. If that’s the situation you are currently in I rounded up options below. So many cute and convenient ways to file your paper!
Ok. Now that we have our paper taken care of that we don’t need to see every day, it’s time to set up a system for the paper you DO needin your every day life. I’ve shared these wooden bins in my office before. They are magic for me! A perfect place to set all of the paper I use/need day to day for work and home life. (These exact bins sold out, but I’ll be sharing lots of fun options for filing paper in my next post!)
If you don’t need multiple bins like I do my best advice is to still have ONE spot where you keep “urgent” papers. That document that needs to be filled out soon for work, your 4th graders field trip signature page, etc. The papers that you get daily and think “I need to not lose this before I can get to it..” This also keeps paper clutter OFF OF YOUR COUNTERS which we all know is huge! No more piles all over the house! Create a go-to spot for paper. Kenny gets the mail every night and we go though it immediately (and trash most of it!) but if you don’t like to do that, have a set bin just for mail! A place to keep it so that it doesn’t pile up around your kitchen until you have time to go through it. Of course then you have to remember to go through it often. I check my inbox a couple of times a day. Papers are always moving in and out of my bins!
I have this hanging file system on my wall that I’ve had for years with the kids’ names on it. This is where they keep all of their random school papers they don’t need right away but want to keep. (This is for things they are currently working on, not their school work I’m saving.) If you have kids you definitely need a spot for their loose papers. If I’m cleaning and find Addison’s math on the floor this is where I put it. My kids know to look here first if they are missing any assignments!
If you have a home office you know that it can become a dumping ground quickly. Take some time this week to go through things and declutter! I gave my office a total overhaul a few years ago and have worked hard to keep things mostly organized. If your office is a mess, pick a day that you can devote to it and pull everything out!
I pulled out all of my office items and photos and old scrapbooking stuff a few years ago and dumped it on.. you guessed it.. my family room floor again! Time to watch TV and sort. :)
I used clear art & craft bins (similar to these) to organize all of the random items I wanted to keep. These bins hold lots of projects that are in motion but not done around here. #storyofmylife
I also store some of my Christmas decor in these bins. Art, our family Christmas cards I hang, Santa pictures, past holiday pics the kids have drawn that I like to display, etc.
This process also helped me realize that I don’t need to order one more clear page protector. Ever.
Ha.
I fit SO much in this one cupboard! Organization is amazing isn’t it!? Get rid of what you don’t need and better organize what you do need. Makes life SO much easier!
Here’s a little more office organization to get us motivated!
I pick up cute greeting cards and thank you notes when I’m out and about and love having a place to organizing them all. So handy when that birthday party or graduation pops up and you need a card for someone! This is reminding me that I need to get mother’s day cards soon. Oh wait.. I already have some saved in my handy little card organizer. ;)
If you’re designing or remodeling a home office these pull out drawers come in so handy too!
Perfect spot for kids’ posters, large albums and other miscellaneous items.
This side of my office with drawers closed..
and open.
A lot of you might remember this tall cupboard in my office. It was one of the very first things I organized when we moved into our new home! A spot for all of my kids’ blank papers and craft supplies.
This cupboard gets opened and closed multiple times every day and still looks just like this. That’s whey you know you have a system set up that works for your family!
I’m thinking I might need to switch out the blue bins now that I recently re-painted my office walls. #ifyougiveamouseacookie
These old magazine files.. I’ve had them since my teaching days before I had kids! They have served me well through the years. :)
I know some of you might look at pictures of my home office and think “sure.. it’s easy to stay organized when you have space like that!” I know you’re thinking that because for years I thought that way too. :) If only I had more room. And a home office! I would be so organized. But here’s the secret I quickly learned moving from small apartments/homes to a larger home. It’s actually easier to stay organized in a smaller home. Really and truly. I had to be more disciplined about what I kept, but in a lot of ways that made life easier. Less stuff means less to take care of and manage and organize.
So no excuses! ;)
This was my “home office” in my last house. A horrible old picture but all I could find! I used a little bookshelf in the closet under my stairs. You can see I had a small table with my printer on top of it in the corner. Up under my stairs (further back in the closet) I kept our luggage. Do you see my colorful magazine files again? Told you I’ve had them forever! I’m thinking it might be time to replace those too. Ha.
I had simple file sorters on top with homemade labels for urgent papers that I needed to refer to often and one for a daily inbox.
Then I used this crate I shared before for our files. That was it! Of course Kole’s nursery held all of my scrapbook supplies because I had no where else to put them. Who has been with me long enough to remember!? Oh my word.. I read that old post the other day and can’t believe how long ago that was. 11 years but it feels like 11 minutes ago I was sharing a room with my baby boy! If you’ve been reading my blog long enough to remember that post just consider yourself part of the family because I do. ;)
Last thing we’ll cover in this already too long post.. wrapping paper organization! You need a system for it too – especially if you have kids. It feels like there is a birthday party for a friend every other day.. right moms!?
I went through my wrapping paper bins and cupboard after Christmas this year and it felt so good to get it all cleaned out and organized!
I keep ribbon and tissue and tags in small bins.
Then I keep my wrapping paper and gift sacks in this tall cupboard. In my previous house I had one large basket for all of it with smaller craft bins inside that held my ribbons and tags. If you are really short on space something that goes over your door like this would work great too.
Then I bought this baby to hold all of my Christmas wrapping paper. Of course this could be used for regular wrapping supplies too. It fits nicely under a bed if you’re short on space!
Last but not least don’t rule out simple ziploc bags! They come in so handy for office organization. I use them all the time to hold pictures, supplies, all sorts of things. I’ve also used them to hold holiday decor and game and puzzle pieces in our playroom. I ordered this variety pack a while back and love having different sizes of these bags on hand.
Alright friends. I have some CUTE office organization options rounded up and I want to show you my new office paint! But I feel like this post is already a book. I’ll be back soon with more. In the meantime.. start rounding up your paper piles!
Home again! We’re back from Maui. Flew in late tonight and I’m still on island time which is why I’m feeling pretty good sitting on this exact couch and writing this post after 1:30 am. When you read this I’ll most likely be a sleep deprived walking zombie working on my never ending to-do list that includes everything I put off last week plus unpacking, laundry, groceries, etc. The Monday after a vacation is always a treat isn’t it? But so worth it. It felt surreal to get away and take a little break from our routine after a year of being so homebound. None of us are ready to be back! I still haven’t shared a Maui tips post and I’m hoping to get to that done this spring/summer for those of you who have asked for it. It’s definitely one of our family’s favorite places to relax and spend time together and I know many of you who have been there love it as much as we do!
For now I’m sharing a few pics of the current state of my family room. I snapped these pics quick before our trip.. just a few simple changes in this space since last spring!
The main change is happening on my “too big to figure out how to style” mantel. It has a new look for spring! I ordered this gold arched metal framed mirror in October and it came in February. I put it up on my mantel in March and am finally sharing pictures in April.
I may drive fast but that’s pretty much where speed ends for me. :)
We have this same mirror in the large leaner size in black in our hallway and I’ve absolutely loved it. (I could only find night time cell pics of it.. I need to take some during the day!) This was one of those purchases I thought about for a long time before I pulled the trigger and now have no regrets!
I looked at a lot of different mirrors and art and other options for this fireplace but just kept coming back to this same gold mirror. Not uncommon for me to buy doubles of things I really love. Not news to any of you. :) I’m not quite ready to take down my brass lanterns I put up during the holidays. The flickering candles still come on automatically around 5 pm every night and give such a nice glow! I think I’ll leave them up all year. I added a basket on the right for some spring vibes. Keeping it simple because I have several items on my console table next to this fireplace.
This console table is looking a little french country to me but I’m not mad about it! Slightly more feminine for spring and summer. :)
I’ve had the sign for years from Home Goods but felt like I needed something next to it. I found this pretty print on-line and love it near the lilacs! A gold frame from Target to hold it for the win and now all feels right in the world!
A little spring tour to kick off our Monday! I hope you enjoyed it and I hope your week is off to a great start. If you’re joining me in my organizing challenge it’s paper week! I’ll be back soon to discuss all things paper organization. A favorite topic of mine!
Spring decorating and paper organization. Maybe it’s not so bad to be back home in my routine after all.
Happy Wednesday! Is it Wednesday? We’re on island time this week so to be honest I’m not sure. ;) Spending the week in Maui for my kids Spring Break. With my sister and her family coming for their Spring Break and then our first vacation in over a year we’ve had more excitement in the past 8 days than we’ve had in a long time! Feels so good to mix things up from our every day and be back in one of our favorite spots! This is hands down the busiest I’ve seen this island so we apparently aren’t the only people who were anxious to travel again and spend some time in the Maui sun.
If you’re following along with my organizing challenge we are tackling family/living rooms this week! Usually these are easier rooms to keep organized (keeping them clean is another story right!?). I added some updates to these spaces in my home that I’ll share soon! I took pics before we left on our trip and I’m hoping to post them one of these nights after my crew is fast asleep. I’m so trained to kick it into second gear late at night that I can’t go to bed at a good time even on vacation! I try. I lay in bed listening to everyone else sleep. But I really just want to sit up and pop some popcorn and blog.
Sharing a few fun things I’m wearing this Spring/Summer! I’m loving these sandals and am ready to put them on repeat! I’ve loved the square toe shoe trend. So cute. Isn’t it funny to see all of these 90’s trends back again? So many teens are wearing Docs and thinking they are so cool. I’m like um.. Ellie.. I was wearing those when I met your dad.
I love and really want these Vince sandals but I’m trying to restrain. I saw them shopping with my sister and told her I loved them and she said “yeah.. total Erin shoes!” And they are. They look like 5 other pairs already in my closet which is why I’m trying to restrain. :)
I always find a few cute simple tees every Spring/Summer that look good with jeans or shorts. Just easy and casual for every day running around with the kids. This eyelet sleeved tee is so cute! I love the sleeves and it’s a great length/fit. Comes in lots of colors. No surprise I went with green. :)
This v-neck ruffle tee is the same brand as my cute green tee above and I love the material! Just so comfy. I’m also obsessed with these linen pants and love them so much I got them in black too. Perfect for spring and summer. They can be dressed up or worn to the pool/beach over your suit. I love the rope tie/nautical look and they are really flattering!
These heels are so beautiful and comfortable! They sold out in all colors except the denim at Nordstrom, but I also found them here! Going fast. Also can we talk about this adorable straw circle tote!? Perfection! I love the faux leather handles and it’s such a good price. It’s also the perfect size for a towel and a few essentials. My go-to pool/vacation/beach bag this summer. Funny story. I saw this bag on-line, instantly fell in love and ordered it. The next morning my friend Vanessa sends me a text with a picture of the same bag.. “just bought this circle beach bag.. isn’t it so cute!? It reminded me of one you had last year.” I sent her a screen shot of my on-line order from the night before and we were cracking up that we both bought the exact same bag within about 12 hours of each other! Too funny. We’ll be twins at the beach this summer sporting our circle totes!
Same v-neck ruffle tee.. different color. Obviously when I love something I buy it in doubles. :)
A look at the black linen pants! This suit is older (I’ve had it a few years). It’s a Robin Piccone – my favorite brand of swimsuits. They cost a bit more than some but the quality and fit makes them worth it. They hold up so well year after year.
Another cute coverup! Roxy dresses are my favorite for summer! So many fun styles of cute little sundresses that are perfect to toss on over your suit! My white legs in this pic remind me of my other spring/summer staple that is with me in Maui right now.
This is hands down the best tanner I’ve used! And I’ve sampled quite a few over the years. :) It honestly looks like a salon spray tan and is so easy to apply. You need the applicator mit and just rub it on. The tan shows up immediately which I love because you can see exactly how to even it out and make sure you aren’t missing spots. I have super fair skin but still use the dark mousse and just put on one coat.
I have the tanner on in this pic from last year and you can compare my legs in it to the pic above to see the difference. I feel like it looks very natural! It dries quickly and lasts about a week. This cute cover-up/romper I got last year is back in stock! Go stripes. :) Also these Steve Madden sandals are older favorites and they also come in black, white and rose gold. I wouldn’t recommend them for a day of walking (flat soles) but they are perfect to slip on for a few hours. I keep these in my mudroom drawer and slide them on often when I’m running to the grocery store or to pick up kids.
A couple of cute hats I picked up for this summer! I’m a little crazy when it comes to sun protection. Both of my parents have skin cancer (the least dangerous type) and my skin is so fair. I gave up attempting to tan years ago! I’m also not that into wrinkles (you too?) :) so a hat is a must for me in the summer. I’m religious about putting on this sunscreen under my make-up every day (LOVE it – it’s tinted and light and matte and doesn’t feel like sunscreen at all) and then I just try to keep my face covered as much as I can when I’m in the sun.
This is what the floppy hat looks like on. Also how cute is this bikini top!? I love it because my shoulders are covered! I don’t want them to get wrinkles either. ;) Seriously I’m always putting a tee on over my suit when I’m in the sun too long to cover my shoulders so they don’t get burned so I love this. I got these bottoms to go with it and they are really flattering (good butt coverage!). Robin Piccone again.. the best suits and bikinis. I shared more favorite suits/bikinis I’m loving this summer in this post.
Ok.. last favorite for today! I ordered this cute wrap maxi cover-up dress on-line for our trip to Maui and it came pretty wrinkled like clothes often do!
In two minutes I had it looking like this. I told you all in my last laundry post that I’m not a fan of ironing and I got lots of questions about my favorite steamer!
This mini handheld travel steamer is gold! I had another steamer I was using that was ok but I wanted something smaller to keep upstairs and use for travel so I ordered this to try. After a few months I tossed my other steamer and now I just use this! It’s so easy to use – just fill it up with water and steam. It works so well on everything – my couch, drapes, bedding, clothes. I use it every week and don’t miss my iron one bit. :) #leastfavoritechoreaftercooking
Here’s how this maxi cover-up looks on! A little long on me (I’m 5’3 1/2 and wearing the xs) but so beautiful and perfect to toss on over a suit when you’re heading to dinner after the beach. Kole came in my bedroom while I was taking this pic and told me I looked like a greek goddess. Ha ha.. MUCH better than other “compliments” my 5th grader has so graciously given me so I’ll take it. ;)
That’s it! A few things I’m loving this Spring that are with me on our trip. Feels so good to spend some time in the sun! With my sunscreen. And my hat. And a suit that covers my shoulders.
Talking Bedrooms, a Birthday, Baskets and Buys today! I know. What a title. Stick with me and at some point it will make more sense to you. Or it won’t. But stick with me regardless just for fun. ;) For those of you participating in my Get Organized Challenge I’m so sorry I left you hanging this week! We are working on bedrooms and even though we’ve had a busy week so far at our house with family in town I’m still going through my challenge to-do lists and making small progress whenever I can squeeze in some time! (These lamps are staying put in the dining room and I’ll find something else for the bedroom btw.. thanks for helping with that one!) :)
A few tips for bedrooms this week! Clear ALL the random clutter. Bedrooms can become dumping grounds.. especially the master. Don’t let it happen! Focus on one section at a time and remove anything that doesn’t belong. Empty and clean out night stand drawers, dressers and anything lurking under the bed that you don’t need anymore. If you didn’t get around to bedroom closets during closet week work on closets too. If you have a desk and/or books in your bedroom go through those. When you’re done wash your sheets and flip your mattress. We all deserve a clean, uncluttered space to recharge from each day. It feels so good to get bedrooms clean and organized!
If you have time get your kids to help work on their bedrooms. Kids bedrooms need constant decluttering and the earlier you can teach them how to do it the better! Kole and I need to go through his books and donate more again. They start taking over his room if we aren’t careful!
If your kids keep toys in their room you can go through those too, but we have a whole week coming up that is dedicated to toys so focus more on bedrooms in general if you’re short on time!
Speaking of toys and kids.. Kole turned 11 this week. So hard to believe!
{Sidenote.. I’m still playing around with my Spring front porch but aren’t the pink trees stunning!? Azaleas! I found them at Home Depot and I’m going to attempt to plant them in my yard after summer if I can keep them alive! I think I’ll move my faux lemon trees to the back yard or side door so they aren’t competing with the Azalea trees.. forever tweaking things. :) }
I swear this was 5 minutes ago. From day one this sweet boy has always been his moms sidekick and best helper. :)
We didn’t tell Kole that my sister and her family were coming to town so that we could surprise him for his birthday. His cousin is one of his favorite people in the world (these two boys talk or play on the iPad together every single day) so when he just showed up on our front porch with balloons and a birthday present Saturday I had one happy 11 year old! This was a screen shot from the video my sister filmed.. we laughed so hard. Kole was speechless!
It has been the best week having them all staying with us! I have missed my family so much this past year. I got the boys a jumpy for Kole’s birthday and we had a family pool day. We lucked out with beautiful weather and we were all so happy to be together again and to just spend a whole day talking and laughing and eating by the pool.
I wish I could freeze time and keep this sweet boy in Elementary school forever. I have loved every stage with my kids, but the Elementary school years are pure bliss aren’t they!? Not physically exhausting like the baby/toddler stage and not as mentally exhausting as the teens. But they are still little. And so happy and easy to please. And mom is still cool. :)
Everything in my yard is starting to bloom.. I love this time of year in San Diego! It just couldn’t be more beautiful.
The sign of a good weekend. :)
Reunited! And feeling pretty grateful for my sister. After all she has been through this past year (dealing with breast cancer on top of the pandemic!) she is in such a good place and doing amazing.. I’m so proud of her. She can still make me laugh until I cry so all is right in the world again. :)
Kole had the “best birthday ever” and we are still on a high from all of the celebrating with family. Night swimming with the pool lights on always signals special occasions at our house and I’m definitely ready for more of that in our future!
Bring on the pool lights! And summer and happy days ahead. :)
Easter snuck up so quickly and I haven’t had time to share a few fun last minute basket ideas I rounded up! These are Spring favorites for kids/teens we have and love if you need ideas for Easter, birthdays or anything else!
I also thought it would be fun to start sharing what we’ve bought on Amazon each month because I absolutely LOVE seeing what other people are buying for their day to day stuff! You can tell so much about people when you see what their Amazon orders look like right!? Ha. I would love to hear something you’ve bought and loved on Amazon this month too so if you have a favorite share it in the comments! A few of my March buys include a new kitchen runner, pillow, bed skirt for El’s room, books (I’m always buying books for me and the kids – the two below are both so good! I got the cute Joanna Gaines book for my neice.) and organizers of course. Oh.. and Folex! You guys! Someone recommended it to me on IG when I couldn’t get a popsicle stain off of my kitchen barstools and it is serioulsy amazing. Such a good spot cleaner! We are all into biking and tennis right now which is why we ordered tennis balls and water bottles that fit on our bikes. Kenny found some good cycling tops and we needed a new power strip for when we are all on our computers on the couch together each night. :)
I’ve got a slightly random post for you all today! Talking lamps and swimsuits. They have nothing to do with each other that than the fact that they have both been on my mind this week! Months ago I ordered these fun Stetson table lamps for my bedroom. I loved them even more in person when they arrived and instantly knew they would look good in about 5 spots in my house! That’s how you know you’ve hit a winner with decor right? Finding pieces that are simple and timeless and will work in lots of spots in your home is gold. I’ve narrowed it down to either putting the lamps in my dining room or my bedroom and would love your opinion! I’m leaning towards the dining room but then I’m back to finding lamps for my bedroom which was my goal with buying these lamps in the first place. So that’s just kind of funny. Never fails right? :)
But I really do love these lamps in this spot! I moved the chair to take this picture so you can see how they look next to my artwork. The size is perfect! And I love the grey with the blue/navy in the art and table.
I’m kind of feeling like this is their new home. :)
But then I put them in my bedroom and love them in this space too! Except they make me want to switch out my side mirrors (if you give a mouse a cookie syndrome..). I pulled some navy pillows and a quilt in from our guest room just to mix it up for fun.
I still have my winter art up that I used for Christmas and it was perfect for Jan/Feb! I need to figure out something for spring so I’ll be tweaking things in this space over the next month or two. I was so excited to find this pink tassel pillow cover on-line (I have one in my living room too!) and then I added this pretty basket to the end of my bed and love the texture it brings in this room.
Slowly bringing in some spring! I rounded up some lamps I’m loving right now below. So many fun options and regardless of whether these lamps end up in my dining room or bedroom.. it looks like I need one more set!
Speaking of spring.. the dishes I got for my birthday arrived and aren’t they beautiful!? Talk about all the spring/summer vibes! It made me so excited to entertain. I can’t wait to start having people over again!
I love them even more in person. I’m going to get a fun table set up with them this weekend. My sister and her family are coming to visit over their spring break so we can use these pretty dishes while they are here and then be all set to go for Easter too! Car and I were texting about the trip.. we’re so excited to all be together again but it feels too good to be true. We keep waiting for something to happen that forces us to cancel.. 2020 post traumatic stress.. ha! We all had one too many things canceled last year right!? Schools are slowly opening up around here (my girls can go 2 days starting this week and 4 days starting after our Spring Break) and it feels amazing!
Cherry blossoms and swimsuits! With warmer weather making an appearance and our spring break right around the corner we’ve been in hot pursuit of some cute swimsuits before they all sell out. I realized a couple of weeks ago that my kids had all totally grown out of what they were swimming in last year. These 3 suits are the winners for Addison this year! And the cutest summer hat. :)
We love this style of suit that has a little cut out. Not quite a bikini but similar and it’s such a flattering fit! We had this similar suit last year and she wore it right out so we just went with the same look in one size bigger. We looked at so many girls swimsuits this year and I rounded up all of our favorites below!
Getting Kole’s swimsuit figured out was definitely easier than finding suits for my teen girls. Ha. Click click and I had ordered a few favorites that he’ll be great with! We get the same rash guards every year and he could care less what he’s wearing. I’ve realized I’m always drawn to blue and orange when it comes to Kole! Just seems to fit his personality. :) A couple of the suits I ordered Kole have already sold out (suits fly this time of year!) but I rounded up lots of favorites for boys below.
Then there’s me.. ahhhh! I have to say that I don’t love swimsuit shopping for myself. Always just so hard to find something that I feel good in! I’d a lot rather buy lamps and dishes. ;) But I do know what does and doesn’t flatter my body type at this point and I’m determined to find something cute that I can wear and feel confident in. Life is precious and this last year was just one more huge reminder of that. I will be in the water this year splashing around with my kids not worrying one bit about the cellulite on the back of my thighs! (This is a little pep talk I’m giving myself in case you can’t tell.. ha.)
I rounded up all of the suits that I’m loving this year below and I ordered a few of them to try. I’ll let you know what I land on when I figure that out! I also ordered a few cute cover-ups and included a round-up of favorite cover-ups below as well. Because lounging pool side is also definitely in the cards this summer. Moms need breaks too and I don’t have to give myself a pep talk for that one! ;)
We’re on week 4 of our organization challenge! How is everyone holding up!? This is usually about the time when we all start to lose steam. Anyone feeling a little behind/defeated? Honestly don’t! If you’ve been joining me and working on your checklist.. just keep going! It’s ok to get behind. Finish up a previous week or start on closets. Something is always better than nothing! We’re making progress and that’s all that matters. I’m so excited.. I finished organizing my downstairs laundry room! During laundry and kitchen week because my kitchen is already organized. ;) Oh my word you guys.. it was seriously such a chore! BEYOND cluttered. It about killed me and is the reason I didn’t get more blog posts up last week (I have so much to share!). But it’s done and now I just need to find some time to take pics! Coming soon. :) As far as closets go I’m sharing lots of fun before/afters to get you motivated. You’ll notice that the only closet I’m not sharing today is my master closet. Just like my downstairs laundry room it’s a spot that has really been put on the back burner. I am determined to fix that and will be working on it this week! GO CLEAN CLOSETS! We’ve got this. :)
Ok.. let’s start with the closet next to my stairs..
This spot can get out of control quickly because it’s such a random catch all closet. This is the only messy “before” I could find of it, but trust me when I say.. it has looked a lot worse than this over the years!
I have a small built-in inside of this closet for cleaning supplies and one of the things on my closet to-do checklist is to add a few more shelves inside of it! I originally thought I would stack mops and brooms inside but ended up hanging them instead so there is a lot of wasted space. I’ll take an updated pic when I get this finished!
On the other side of our stairs is another little closet (we had so much space under our stairs that I had our builder put up a wall to make 2 smaller closets vs. one crazy large closet). This is the one I lovingly refer to as our “hobbit closet” because the door is so small. :) Excuse the garland.. this Christmas pic was all I could find of it at the moment!
We all remember this little makeover! I used to have such a hard time keeping this coset clean with all of the luggage and bags and outdoor stuff I have to cram inside!
Happy to say that is not the case anymore! (Notice my kids’ school work bins.. going through those during our office/paper week!)
Add hooks to any closet you can! Vertical organization saves so much space.
Total game changer for my hobbit closet!
Remember this fun before of our outdoor pool closet?
So much better! These stackable baskets were the key to keeping this outdoor space clean. I’d still love to add some vertical shelves in this spot someday. But my master closet has to take priority this week. :)
Kids closets can get messy in no time! We do mini closet clean outs 2-4 times a year but this last time with Addison she had grown out of so much and her closet was such a mess that we had to do a major overhaul.
When spaces are that messy just pull everything out!
So nice to start with a clean slate. Get shelves and rods all wiped clean and then see if there is anything you can add to help with function.
Hooks for the win with this closet makeover. We have Ad’s new paint up and I need to take pics and share that too!
Feels so good starting a new season with a clean closet, doesn’t it!? El and I are working on hers right now too.
This is an older pic of Ad’s closet when she was younger. I always had my girls lay out their clothes for school on the Sunday afternoon before the week started. Saved so much morning girl drama about what they were going to wear! You can find lots of fun hanging closet organizers here. This would also work great for seasonal sweaters or other clothes you want to keep separated.
I cut these circles out of scrapbook paper and used my label maker and mini clothespins for labels for her closet years ago too.
You can read more details about whipping it into shape in this post. One thing that has been nice is having bins labeled “too big” and “too small” in his closet. I buy multiples in bigger sizes of things like shorts that he loves because he grows so quickly! I keep them in the “too big” for when he gets big enough to wear them. He puts clothes that feel too tight in the “too small” bin and then I can just grab those to donate when I’m making a Goodwill run. They know me well at our local Goodwill drop off! ;)
If you have closets that store blankets/linens go through those too! It was emotional for me organizing this closet! I had lots of old baby blankets in other bedrooms I was hanging on to and knew I needed to donate some of them. I wanted to fit all of our extra blankets in this one closet (this wasn’t all of them!) so I had to be ruthless.
I kept some special blankets and the quilts my grandma made, but reminded myself that I have pictures of the other blankets wrapped around my babies. They served their purpose and it was time for someone else to enjoy them. Some things pull at our heart strings and are harder to say good-bye to but here’s the thing. Do you think for one second after I dropped those blankets off I’ve thought about them or felt sad they were gone? Nope. And to be honest as my kids get older I think I could go back and say good-bye to a few more and be just fine with it. Because at the end of the day.. it’s just stuff. People matter.. stuff not so much. If you’re really struggling to let something go that you know you should, just tuck it away for a while. Put it in a box in your garage. If a few months go by and you don’t use it or miss it or think about it, say good-bye. :)
This pic is over 10 years old! From my towel/linen closet in my previous home. It was upstairs and I also used it to hold some cleaning supplies and wash cloths. You can see I added the clothes pins and scrapbook paper labels again. An oldie but a goodie. ;) If you remember this picture and post we are LONG time friends and I’m sending you a huge hug! :)
Even though we can close the doors on most of our closets and pretend they are clean and organized..
we all feel and function better when they actually are! My decor closet is organized, but I’m still going to go through it and get rid of anything I’m not using and loving. Time to purge! It’s going to be a great week. ORGANIZE THOSE CLOSETS! Let’s do this.
:)
Below are some fun Daily Deals I shared in IG stories last week! Favorites I own that are on sale (I’ve shared most of them before like my beloved favorite sweater!). But don’t buy things just because they are on sale or a great deal. Buy them if you’ll use and love them like I do.
Or they’ll just end up in a sack going to Goodwill next month. ;)
Alright.. how are we doing when it comes to the organization challenge? Keeping up? Getting behind? Never started? Ha. That’s ok! Take a minute and print off your checklist and join us this week! We are organizing our kitchens – woot woot! My kitchen was mostly organized for years and then when Covid hit and my kids’ activities stopped last spring I finally organized the lingering messy spots and shared the entire space on my blog. Whew! That was a workout. ;) It was so much organization to share that I had to break my kitchen down into 3 posts. I’m going to share a lot of the same pictures today with some kitchen organization tips, but if you haven’t seen those posts they do a better job of sharing EVERYTHING including where things are located. Lots of tips for organization but also some ideas if you are building/renovating/remodeling a kitchen this year. I hope my posts are helpful!
These kitchen decor pics are from last Spring and I’ve tweaked a few things this year but I’ll share that later in a kitchen decor post. For today we are focusing on all things organization! Sidenote – really, truly, if you are behind with this challenge that’s ok! I am too! Ha. I’m still finishing up my main floor laundry room but my kitchen is organized so I can work on my laundry room this week. If you need to finish laundry or bathroom stuff do that and circle back to kitchens at the end of the challenge or during another week (if the room for that week is already organized or doesn’t take as long). Just whatever you do don’t give up and stop! Progress is progress no matter how small it is!
Tackle kitchen cupboards and drawers just like we did in our bathrooms. Open the messy cupboard and gasp.
Pull every single item out. Vacuum/wash out the cupboard/drawer. Toss/donate as much as you possibly can!
Then put the items you really love/use often back in an organized way. Then we pause and listen for the singing angels. ;)
It’s a good feeling to have your kitchen looking clean when the cupboards/drawers are closed.
It’s an even better feeling to have the kitchen really clean when the cupboards/drawers are open.
I have a lot more space in this kitchen than I did in previous kitchens but honestly that makes it harder for me to keep it organized! The way to truly be organized is to have less stuff. I’ve found that more cupboards just get filled with more clutter that we don’t really need.
Be ruthless about what you keep! If you haven’t used it in the past 6 months to a year say good-bye.
If your drawers are already mostly organized take some time to vacuum the crumbs out quick and check if there is anything you can say good-bye to that you haven’t been using.
Silverware drawers always end up with dust/crumbs. Why that is I’ll never understand but take some time to vacuum/wash those drawers out too! (Or is it just at my house!? Sometimes I wonder if my kids just stand over this drawer with a box of crackers! ha.)
Now is the time to toss any old dish cloths that are worn out or smell even after you wash them. Some of my favorites are on sale! I’m ordering a new set for spring. :)
If you have a drawer/cupboard that you’ve organized but it just isn’t staying that way, re-think how you’re organizing it. I kept cleaning this drawer out and weeks later it would be messy again. I finally separated the lids from the Tupperware with a drawer divider and now it’s so easy to keep organized! Looks just like this still today. Figure out what isn’t working. Your spaces have to be organized in a way you can easily maintain them or you’ll be back to square one in no time. The goal is to organize everything once and then just maintain and forget about it!
Go through your spices this week and toss anything that has expired or that you’re not using!
I wish I could toss all of my spices and just stop cooking. (sigh) ;)
Even if you love to cook you don’t need 30 post and pans. Go through them and only keep what you’re really using often. Clean out the space they are in and put only favorites back!
I am able to keep my pullout pot/pan drawers organized because I finally moved the lids to a new location. So nice because I don’t even use the lids when I cook most of the time! Separate lids if that would help you too. (Lots of kitchen organizers I love/recommend are at the end of this post.)
Clean.
Really clean. :)
Wipe out under the kitchen sink and only keep/put back items you use often.
Find a good spot for those pesky water bottles. Also get rid of half of them! (Ideas for how to store water bottles are in my collage at the end of this post if you don’t have a drawer for them.)
Keep most used items near the places you use them daily.
If you keep cleaning supplies in your kitchen go through those too and toss what you aren’t using anymore.
Do the same thing with medication if you keep it in your kitchen like I do. Again, think about where you use items. I could keep medication, bandaids, etc. in a linen closet, but where do we all hang out the most? The kitchen. It’s nice to have easy access to things like this that we use often.
If your pantry is really messy you might want to spend this whole week working on your pantry when you have time. That’s ok! Pantries take time to really organize well in a way that you can maintain them.
I organized my pantry like this years ago (as many of you know!) and haven’t had to re-organize it once since then. Every single time I get groceries (every few days around here) I empty containers and put things back where they go and do a quick tidy. My kids know where things go and are pretty good to put things back in the right spot. I vacuum crumbs out of the baskets and drawers every few weeks. It’s easy to maintain spaces when they are organized in a way that make sense.
If you have kids I recommend setting up a set place for snacks that’s easy for the kids to access. Use a bin or basket if you don’t have drawers.
This was my pantry in my previous house. Much smaller and to be honest.. easier for me to keep clean! I was ruthless about what I kept.
This is my sister’s pantry! She just organized it a few weeks ago so I’m adding it to this post to give you a few more ideas. She was texting me pics while she was working on it and I was so happy for her. Best feeling getting the pantry organized! They eat a variety of cereal so it’s easier for her to just keep cereal in original boxes. We eat the same 4 cereals over and over and humidity can be an issue here so I like to use these cereal containers. Do whatever works best for you and your family! Pantries come in all shapes and sizes and some of us don’t even have one. Just work with the space you have. If you have a smaller space you are going to have to keep even less and maybe set up a shelf for overflow in the garage, but it can still be organized and set up in a functional, easy to use way!
A couple more before/afters to get us all motivated this week! Most kitchens have a dreaded junk drawer.
Sometimes kitchens become catch alls for other random things because we all hang out in our kitchens so much. Our cord drawer looked like the above picture for years until I finally did something about it!
Remember to gelt rid of what you don’t need first and then seen what organizers would help keep your space organized.
I’m happy to say that this drawer (and the rest of my kitchen!) still looks like these pictures I shared with you today. I say that not for a pat on the back (although I’ll give myself one because sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that we’re making progress!) but to show you that it really is possible to organize a space and then keep it that way. I promise! After this challenge we’ll talk a lot more about routines and habits that have helped me keep things organized, but first we have to organize everything! One room each week. We’ve got this. :)
Below are some of my favorites for kitchen organization! May the force be with you!
Happy Saturday! I hope you all had a great week! I turned 44 on Thursday and according to Kole that’s great because I’m half way to 88. Score! Gotta love kids for keeping it real and always telling you exactly what you want to hear right? Despite Kole’s grim observation I had a fabulous few days. :) Very spoiled by my sweet family and friends. Birthdays always leave me feeling so full of gratitude for all of the wonderful people in my life. They also leave me tired because that much social interaction just wears me right out!
We snapped these pictures quick on my birthday but Kole wasn’t home with us (he’s the only one who leaves the house for school each day!) so below is a pic with him from last year.
Leaving an outdoor dinner with some close friends.. it was so fun catching up with everyone! On a sidenote.. my cute friend Meghann opened up a new cookie store (BATCH and BOX) and her cookies are to die for! Seriously the best cookies! You can order them on-line for yourself or have them sent to someone as a gift.. so delicious! I would show you a pic of the cookies but we all devoured them too quick before I could even take one. I just wanted to share if you know someone who loves cookies or if you need a fun gift idea or just want to let someone know you are thinking about them. We love them at our house!
Thanks to everyone who reached out on IG with sweet birthday wishes! When I say I’m grateful for all of the wonderful people in my life I hope you all know that includes you. I have no doubt we would all be besties if we lived close! We would talk all day about organizing and decorating and share favorite Spring tops.
Speaking of decorating.. Easter is fast approaching! So is warmer weather. YEA. I’m so ready for it this year! Last year I set this simple tablescape for Easter dinner since it was just the 5 of us.
Eggs in a pretty basket is always simple Easter decor and of course I have to have some Easter candy out somewhere. It’s my absolute favorite! Especially the Chicks Ducks and Bunnies. And don’t get me started on Cadbury Eggs. I try so hard to resist those in the grocery store because if they are in the house they won’t last a day!
Our weather has been tricking us lately.. nice and sunny and a hint of Spring one day and then back to cold! I love the bright, happy colors in this sweater for cooler days. Cute, comfortable and a perfect length. You know how I feel about Madewell and on sale for just $31!
I’ve been wearing this crop henley top over and over and over! Just $35 and it is the perfect top to toss on over your workout clothes! I’m debating getting another color. So soft and comfortable!
I wanted to show the side view because it’s not fitted and a little copped but perfect with high waist leggings. I love the sleeves! My girls both want to borrow it and that’s always how I know I’ve found a winner.. ha. It runs a little big so I would order one size down (I’m wearing the xxs.)
This is the cute top I was wearing on my birthday.. another recent favorite! I love it more casual with jeans but it’s also cute tucked in with a black pencil skirt and heels.
The color and ruffle sleeves are such a cute combo! I’ve mentioned this before but CeCe tops are some of my favorites! Especially for Spring/Summer.
And that’s a wrap for today! I’ll be back to talk all things kitchen organization for next week! I’m organizing my messy laundry room today. I won’t have it done in time to share for laundry week but I am determined to have it organized by the end of the day! I need these deadlines! Life always gets in the way and they force me to just prioritize it and get it done. I hope you’re if you’re following along with my organizing challenge you are feeling the same and seeing some progress! Something is always better than nothing right!? We’ve got this. :) Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
It’s laundry room week and time to whip our laundry spaces into shape! I spent years without a real laundry room in past apartments/homes so when I had the chance to design this house I went a little crazy and added two! (I’m tricky like that.) This laundry room I’m sharing today is upstairs close to my kids’ bedrooms and my dream when I designed it was that someday my kids would completely take over and do all of their own laundry. When we moved into this house my kids were 3, 7 and 9 and that dream felt pretty unachievable. Ha! But I’m happy to report that my kids (who are now almost 11, 15 and 17) all do their own laundry! It’s a miracle I never thought I’d actually witness! I’ll chat more about my laundry routine at the end of this post, but first here is a little re-fresh I recently gave this space! I still love my striped rug but it has been years since I updated this laundry room and it was time. Above is how it was looking before..
And this is how it’s looking today. Just a little lighter and brighter for Spring! It feels so happy and I didn’t spend much at all. The only new item is this blush runner that I found on-line. I didn’t want to spend too much on a rug for this laundry room because this isn’t a high traffic area and knowing me I’ll probably switch it out again at some point. I was excited to find a cute runner for such a great price! It has been over 8 years since I picked out the paint color for these cabinets and I love it every bit as much today as I did then. I never get tired of green. :)
I tried to stick with warm wood tones and whites and I brought in some of my favorite art that makes me happy.
My Hello Sunshine lemon is a long time favorite. It reminds me of my blog – my happy place where I get to hang out with all of you and talk about green laundry room cabinets and lemon art. :)
Some pretty faux flowers in a vase brighten up every space!
If you’re new here my pull out laundry hampers are how we store dirty clothes in this room. They are the first thing I ever sketched out for this house and I can’t recommend them enough if you are building/re-modeling. If you don’t have the space for them I’ve seen so many cool ways to organize laundry with baskets! Type “laundry room hampers” in the Pinterest search bar and so many fun options will pop up.
I didn’t get a picture of this and will share it better in IG stories this week but I have each hamper labeled when you pull them out – lights, darks and towels. My kids have hampers in their bedrooms but then separate their clothes in these hampers every couple of days or when they are about to do laundry.
We have a pull out ironing board in this room too but I rarely use it. I absolutely hate ironing! It’s one of my least favorite chores so I just don’t do it very often. (Because I’m tricky like that.) I try to buy wrinkle free clothes and when something really needs to be ironed.. I use a steamer. Anyone else with me on this one? Maybe my kids will like ironing better than I do? We haven’t tackled that one yet.. mastering one life skill at at time over here. ;)
As far as tips for organizing laundry supplies.. I really don’t have much in this room! The few things I do use I keep in this cupboard above my washer and then I use the rest of the space in these cupboards to store my Christmas village! #priorities ;) We display this village on the long table in our upstairs hallway each holiday season so I moved the village here a few years ago. It’s so much easier to set up and take down each year with it all stored right next to the table we set it up on. The rest of the drawers in this room are completely empty!
I’m pretty minimal when it comes to laundry products. I use Tide Pods to wash our clothes and store them in these good grip jars that are long time favorites. I keep them located right next to the washing machine. They are out of sight when you walk in the room but are close to the washer and easy for my kids to reach. The jars seal so tight and are perfect for laundry pods.
When it comes to doing laundry I think it’s so important to have a routine in place! What that routine looks like doesn’t matter and it will be different for every family. The important thing (if you want to stay on top of your laundry and not let it get the best of you!) is just to have a routine. When my kids were little I cleaned my house in the late afternoon/evening and always did a load of laundry when my girls were playing together in their bathtub (their bathroom was next to my washer/dryer in our last house). When we moved into this house and my kids started getting older my evenings became a lot busier so I started doing laundry in the morning. Most mornings my routine is the same. I wake up and splash some water on my face and put on my workout clothes. I toss a load of wash in and then get on our treadmill for 30-40 minutes. After I exercise I put the clean clothes in the dryer and then start getting my kids up and going for school. I used to then toss in a load of the kids’ laundry in their laundry room too while I was upstairs getting them up. Then I’d toss those clothes in the dryer after I dropped them off at school. I usually end up folding and putting away clothes later in the afternoon in-between my kids’ activities. Now that my kids do their own laundry I don’t use this laundry room much other than to help with their towels and sheets. Tuesday is my main cleaning day so that’s the day that I always wash sheets and towels. I wash our sheets most weeks and I wash my kids’ sheets every other week (one week I wash Kole’s and the next week I wash the girls’ sheets). With this system I’m usually pretty caught up on laundry by Friday so I don’t have to do any over the weekend. For me it has always been so much easier to do a load of laundry a day vs. spending one whole day doing laundry, but I know for some families that might not be the case! Try out doing laundry a few different times/ways and see what works best. Set a reminder on your phone each day if you have to until it becomes a routine. I would love to hear about your laundry routine in the comments! If you’re really struggling to stay on top of laundry I would recommend doing a load or two a day at the same time every day. It’s so nice when you can stay on top of it all!
A few tips for the week while we get our laundry space organized!
– pull everything out of the room!
– touch each item and place it in a sack or pile
(keep/donate/trash/re-locate)
– wipe out/clean drawers, cupboards, shelves
– categorize the “keep” pile
(laundry supplies, storage, etc.)
– place items back in drawers, cupboards, shelves
– label any clear containers
– toss socks w/o a match
– clean out the washing machine (Google how to do this with your machine! I just cleaned ours out a few months ago.. not a fun job but so nice to have done!)
– vacuum the lint trap
– use bins/baskets to sort dirty clothes (lights/darks/towels)
– establish a routine for laundry & get the family on board!
– add flowers/decorate (make it a happy space!)
.
So here’s the deal.. my home is mostly organized but there are two spaces that are just a continual hot mess because I haven’t taken the time to really organize them well. One of them is my master closet. The other one? My main floor laundry room! So I’ll be reading my own tips and totally organizing my messy laundry room this week right along with you! A big part of the reason I did this challenge is because I knew it would force me to organize spaces I haven’t prioritized (because I’m tricky like that) and this laundry room is one of those spaces! Here are a few “befores.” Warning.. it’s bad.
Um.. what exactly is happening in these cupboards!?
And these drawers? Laughing because I have my favorite battery organizer and yet.. batteries aren’t in it! Just hanging out all around it! Ha. Kenny bought some and then I found some in another room.. anyway.. I think we’re covered on batteries!
Need a lightbulb anyone?
Yeah.. like I said.. this room needs some help! Every drawer and cupboard is like this because I just haven’t taken the time to organize them. This room ALWAYS gets put on the back burner. I’m so excited to get on top of it this week! I’ll hopefully have some progress to share soon! We are also tackling kids’ shoes this week so if you have any type of mudroom/entry/shoe system set up we’re cleaning up and organizing those spaces too. Lots to do! Best of luck to all of you and wish me the same!
Well! It has been quite a week. Life is picking up around here and my kids are getting busy again which is a good thing! It’s also a good thing that we’re easing into everything slowly because I’m not exactly conditioned for my pre-Covid life. Ha. I’m so tired! Our week was a little crazy but I’m happy to say that despite our busy schedule my bathrooms are all organized! The rest of my house is a mess and I did’t have time to blog much about my bathrooms, but still.. I made it! Did you!? Were you able to organize a bathroom or two at your house? In my last post I shared all of the drawers in my master bathroom that have stayed clean since I last organized them. Today I’m sharing a few more bathroom projects. I’ll still have one more bathroom post to share after today’s post, but it will have to come later because we are tackling laundry rooms this week and I don’t know about all of you, but I seriously have my work cut out for me on that one!
Here’s a re-cap of some bathroom progress! I went in to organize our guest bathroom (located in-between the guest room and Kenny’s office) and the first thing I noticed was how filthy dirty my CLEAN rug was. That just made me laugh.
Kenny has been using the towel hooks to hold his dress shirts for when he has to throw one on for Zoom. My sister and her family are visiting for a few days this month (can’t wait to see them!) so it was time to put the towels back on the hooks and make this space look like our guest bathroom again!
I washed out the garbage can and got to work going through cabinets/drawers.
They weren’t too bad because I don’t keep much in here, but very dusty because I haven’t wiped them out in years!
I cleaned out all of the cupboards and drawers and folded the towels. A quick project but it feels good knowing this bathroom is ready for guests!
This bathtub has built-in shelves we used for Kole’s bath toys when he was little. He just showers now so it was time to let go of the bath toys. (Tear) Sentimental things like that with my kids are always the hardest for me to part with! But I’ve saved some special things through the years and I try to remember a quote that helps me when I’m organizing.. “If everything is special then nothing is special.” I love that. It’s such a good reminder to be selective about what you choose to save. I had a mom moment and got a little lump in my throat but finally said good-bye to the bath toys. :)
Toilet paper is in the far left cupboard and everything else is empty!
This bathroom also has some built-ins behind the door and a pullout hamper for laundry. We crammed as much as we could in this space!
I keep my faux pink peonies in this space (the pop of color they add always makes me happy!) but when guests come I love switching them out for real flowers. An easy way to make your guests feel welcome. :)
A paint brush in this cupboard? Really Kenny? Why am I not surprised.
A few more fun “befores.” You can see that I bought organizers and attempted to clean these drawers out at one point but they definitely didn’t stay that way!
You get the picture!
Time to pull everything out onto the floor and give cupboards/drawers a good wipe down!
I also cleaned out our brushes. After you’ve taken the hair out let them soak in a little shampoo and hot water and they’ll sparkle like new again! (Ignore the bad lighting in so many of these pics.. I was working fast and just snapping them quick with my phone!)
Now that the tub toys were gone I had these grey bins from Target laying around. I washed them out and put them to good use! (Sidenote.. my beloved Cambria Serving bowl holding oranges is on sale!)
My old bins were perfect to hold all of Kenny’s “extras.” Razors, deodorant, toothpaste, etc. Nice and tidy!
His drawers are looking so much better now too! Most of the stuff that was crammed in them was packaging and garbage. I gave Kenny some Jack Black shaving cream and other products to try for Christmas and they were still just sitting in a package! No doubt they would have sat there in a box for years if I hadn’t opened them for him.
Huge improvement right!?
Travel bags and mirrors in the last drawer. There isn’t a lot of stuff so he should be able to maintain these. I’ll be monitoring of course. ;)
I showed Kenny his sparkling clean side of the bathroom and asked “can you please try really hard to keep these drawers organized!? Just put things right back where they go after you use them.” His answer? “Erin.. I mess things up for you. I need to give you some blog content. What would you organize if it weren’t for me? I’m here for you babe. You’re welcome.”
Yup.. that’s what I live with.
If you’re organizing with me on IG stories Kole gave us all a lesson on how to fold towels. :) So many people wrote me asking if he could teach their husbands which made me laugh! Happy to know it’s not just my husband who could learn a thing or two about cleaning/organizing, ;)
On to the powder bathroom! She’s looking fancy with a new rug. :)
Love yourself. Not a bad reminder. :) I was going to put this cute mat in my girls’ bathroom but we all decided we like it best in this space and I’m currently looking for some new rugs for the girls.
I keep this bathroom pretty clean and organized because it’s the most used bathroom in our house but the toothbrush drawer needed to be wiped out!
I get Kole ready here every morning so it was getting dirty. I’ve shared this drawer and tip before but for anyone new.. we keep extra toothbrushes in this bathroom because it’s close to the garage door. That way my kids can brush their teeth here if we’re having a busy morning and need to get out the door quick for school. It saves so much time not having to run back upstairs after breakfast!
I didn’t take a new picture (which is why you’re seeing the rug we used last Spring!) but I did wipe out under the sink. It’s always a hot spot so I try to give it a quick clean out every 6 months or so.
3 bathrooms down! Two were easy and I was grateful because my girls’ bathroom was another story! So much work and I’ll share pics soon. I have lots to share with you this week!
I’m kicking off our organization challenge this week with all things bathroom! Yea! I can hear the Rocky music playing in the background. :) Did you download your printable and make your lists? Before we jump into bathroom cupboards and drawers I wanted to share one more important tip for this challenge that I forgot to mention in my last post. Look ahead at your schedule this week and calendar your organizing time. Will it be easiest to work on your bathrooms for 20 minutes each night this week? Or do you have a two hour window on Wednesday evening? Calendar that time and let your family know so that it actually happens. Once you’ve done that, be realistic about how much you can get done. If time is short just focus on really organizing one bathroom. OR just go through each bathroom and purge items you don’t need. Remember that SOMETHING is always better than NOTHING! Other general tips for this challenge are here if you missed them.
Bathrooms can get so out of control! Start by taking everything out of your cupboards and drawers.
I always set items on a towel or rug. Pick up each item and decide if it goes in the keep/donate/trash/re-locate pile. Anything you are trashing goes straight in a garbage bag! If products are old, expired, mostly empty.. trash them. Also recycle all boxes and packages. If it’s a newish product but you haven’t used it in the last three months give it to someone who will. I gave a lot of unused items to my girls when I cleaned out my bathroom.
I didn’t photograph my piles when I initially cleaned this cupboard but I did have piles going for keep/relocate/donate behind me when I took this picture. You’ll find that a lot of bathroom clutter can go straight to the trash! Be ruthless with purging and only keep items you really use and love!
Done with my piles and easily filled a bag of garbage!
I started working on Kenny’s bathroom drawers tonight and snapped a pic of the items I always have on hand when I clean out bathrooms. Garbage bags, paper towels, hot soapy water, a washcloth, and a hand held vac (I bought this one about six months ago to keep in my bathroom/closet and it’s great for quickly cleaning out drawers!).
When cupboards/drawers are REALLY bad and especially if they have a lot of hair (common in bathrooms!) I just use a damp paper towel to wipe out the majority of the mess. If it’s not too bad, I use my handheld vacuum to pick up the dirt/hair. Then I always wipe out and clean the cupboard/drawer with hot soapy water. You can just start with the hot soapy water first if that’s easier. Whatever works for you! I’m just sharing my method. :)
Next categorize your “keep pile” by grouping like items together. All the make-up in one pile, all of your skin care, dental, etc.
Then my favorite part. Putting everything back nice and organized into a clean space! :)
I placed all of my items back into this cupboard and THEN thought about what organizer might work best. I really didn’t need much! Eventually I ordered this lazy susan to hold items I reach for the most often.
When I pulled things out of my drawers my bathroom took a major turn for the worse.. ha. Things always get really bad before they get really good when you’re organizing!
I was starting to categories the “keep” items in this pic (see all the toothpaste, chapstick, contacts together, etc.). We buy a lot of items we use in bulk at Costco so there are always extras to store.
Once I put my “keep” items back in the drawers I could tell I needed some dividers. These sketches came after all of the purging and cleaning was done! I always recommend that you purge and clean BEFORE you order organizers. I think we often get ahead on this because ordering the organizers is fun and it makes us feel like we’re doing something to improve our situation. The thing that actually improves our situation is getting rid of items we don’t need.
Feels amazing when everything is clean, doesn’t it!? These pics are from last April and because this system is so organized and perfect for the way I get ready each day it has been a breeze to keep clean! Tomorrow I’m going to vacuum out my organizers and I think I’ll go through this bottom drawer and give my girls some of these samples because I haven’t used a lot of them. If I haven’t used them in almost a year I know I won’t! Time to say good-bye.
Also take some time to go through towels. Pull everything out of linen closets/cabinets. Donate old towels and treat yourself to some new, clean towels if it’s time. (Animal shelters are a great place to donate old towels!) I’ve replaced a lot of the towels in this picture that were wearing out with these grey/white towels. They are inexpensive and we’ve loved them! They absorb water well and are stylish. My two must haves for towels. :)
Wipe out your cupboards and fold everything nicely and put it back. My bottom baskets hold washcloths I use when I clean.
I hope this post gives you some ideas and motivation to hit the ground running this week and whip your bathrooms into shape! It’s the best feeling to get ready each day in an organized bathroom. I’ll share more of my progress soon. Below are 12 of my favorite bathroom organizers! Just promise me you’ll order what works best in your bathroom after you toss all of the junk. ;)
*sidenote – Numbers 2, 4, 7, 11 and 12 are in my bathroom pics above. I also have #10 in my vanity drawers. They are great but really shallow! Perfect for shallow drawers. I’m obsessed with #9 (wish list!) and #6 looks like a similar/less expensive option for the main drawer dividers I use.
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I wish I could freeze time and keep this sweet boy in Elementary school forever. I have loved every stage with my kids, but the Elementary school years are pure bliss aren’t they!? Not physically exhausting like the baby/toddler stage and not as mentally exhausting as the teens. But they are still little. And so happy and easy to please. And mom is still cool. :)
