*This post is compensated by QVC and affiliate links are used, but as always all product selections and opinions are my own! :) 

Ok.  I’m seriously so excited about today’s post!  2019 hit and ever since I have been purging and organizing up a storm.  There is something so refreshing and therapeutic about getting your house organized and put together for the new year!  It just seems to help make January a better month since it’s a month that can sometimes feel a little long and depressing. Cleaning out unwanted items from our home breathes new life into our space and is just the BEST feeling, right!?  I know you all know exactly what I’m talking about. :)

QVC reached out to me at the beginning of the year and asked if I wanted to pick five of their organizing solutions to share in my home.  I started going through all of their organizing products on-line and felt like a kid in a candy store.  They have so many fun items I had a hard time choosing which 5 to feature!  But I definitely had some problem areas in my home I was excited to improve and can’t wait to show you how things turned out.  First problem on my list to fix – my pots and pans!  I didn’t get a “before” of them but trust me when I say they were bad!

When we built our house I wanted two long pull out drawers for pots and pans under our stove, but because of the size of range I chose, the drawers were going to be too long and large to pull.  I opted for two sets of cabinets with pull out drawers inside instead.  They were an un-organized hot mess before, but now..

So organized!  The reason they were a mess before was because I was trying to cram too much in them.  I had lots of pans I never used plus all of the lids inside and it was just too much.

Taking out all of the lids and clearing out pans I don’t use anymore freed up so much space!  Now it’s easy to see the pans I love and use most often.

My pot and pan mess was also spilling into these cupboards below my open shelves and they were definitely due for a clean out.  (Um why do I have 6 packs of candy canes on the left?  And 4 of the same size of frying pan on the right?  That I never use because I have other frying pans below my stove!  And is this really the best place to store my small vacuum?  I think not..)

MUCH better.  Do you hear the angels?  I believe they started singing once again.  It’s a happy sound indeed. ;)  Seriously so much better!  I got rid of everything I wasn’t using, moved a few things to a better location, and now I have room to store the items I truly love and use most often.

A few larger kitchen items on the left.

And some of my cutting boards and all of my pot/pan lids on the right.  These StoreMore Pot Lid and Cookware Organizers might be one of my most favorite organizers ever.  They are such a genius solution!  Before I discovered these my pot and pan lids were taking up precious space in my pullout drawers.  Plus I don’t use lids that often!  I do once in a while so I wanted to keep them, but a lot of nights I don’t use them so it’s nice to have them in a different location not taking up precious pot/pan storage space. (I had to lay one lid back a bit because it was too tall to stand straight in this cupboard!)

The Pot Lid Organizers are also so easy to adjust to fit the size of your specific lids and hold everything so nice and organized.  I love that they make it so easy to see what I need instead of searching through a messy pile to find the right lid.  They are such a great organizing solution – I can’t believe I’ve lived this long without them!

Next little issue at my house.  Addison and her slime.  (Sigh..)  Most kids are over the slime craze but not my Addison!  She is as obsessed as ever and loves to make/play with her slime every day.  Months ago I finally told her the cabinet next to our dining nook could be her “slime cabinet” because she needed a place to keep everything together.  (No way was it leaving the kitchen and going into her room!)

This little cabinet has been driving me crazy for months!  She was using so many different sizes of containers and everything was crammed together and I knew there had to be a better way to keep the slime at bay!

The second I saw this Multi-Color Twist Lid Storage Set I knew I had found our slime solution once and for all!  Aren’t these fun!?  There are four different jar sizes and you can use them in so many different ways.  In the pantry or for crafts in a craft room…

or in the kitchen to hold various colors, types and sizes of slime. ;)  Addison loved moving all of her slime over to these jars and was so excited about her new organized slime cupboard!

Ready for the after?

Ta-da!  Talk about an improvement!  This took all of 15 minutes!

I kept all of her slime on the bottom shelf and her supplies on the top.

It’s amazing how these stackable storage jars saved so much room!  She has one large empty jar left to fill but knows that if she wants to make more slime after that she has to toss some old slime!  That way we can keep things organized in this small cupboard and mom won’t completely lose her mind with slime taking over the kitchen.  Addison also knows the rule that if slime is out it has to be on the mat I bought her and it can’t leave the kitchen!

Luckily she’s a responsible slimer so we haven’t had any problems.

Yet. ;)

Next organizing solution.. time to open my little hobbit door and straighten the mudroom luggage closet again!  It’s a space that always needs a refresh each year.

Part of the reason this little closet is hard to keep clean is because it’s such a catch all for random miscellaneous items that we aren’t using.  This Over-The-Door Collapsible Organizer was a perfect solution!  It is SO easy to install.  Just hang it over a door and bam.  Extra vertical storage!  Do you hear the singing in the background? 

Car headphones, pool odds and ends, Kole’s soccer socks and shoes that he’ll need next season but doesn’t need now.  The types of things you don’t know where to stash now fit nicely in this organizer taking up ZERO closet space!

I can think of SO many things you could use this for if you are short on space in your home.  In an office to hold wrapping paper or office supplies.  In a pantry to store extra food items.  In a child’s closet to hold extra shoes, clothes or accessories.  In a bathroom to hold toiletries.  I wish so badly I would have known about this in my previous smaller home!  I would have had one on every door in the house!

Ok.. next obsession!  You know I’ve never met a black and white stripe I didn’t like so needless to say, I was sold on this Thermal Insulated Bag and Tote Set before I even knew how cool they are. :)

So cute on the outside and this isn’t the only color/pattern they come in.  LOTS of fun options!  But the magic is on the inside!  They are insulated and perfect for bringing home groceries or for a day at the pool, park or beach!

I’ve only had them a few weeks and we’ve honestly used them almost every single day!  I love taking them to the grocery store.  I also love taking my kids to the grocery store.

One of those sentences wasn’t entirely true. ;)

They are heavy duty, easy to carry, a variety of sizes and PERFECT to hold cold items and other groceries.  I’ll never use random sacks and bags again!

My shopping helper and partner in crime agrees.. they are a hit!

Last organizing solution!  I mentioned in my healthy snack post that if I take the time to prep healthy snacks and things to eat ahead of time we do much better each week!  So I was excited to try out this Lock & Lock Nestable Rectangle Storage Set.

I knew I would love them!  Perfect size options and they are so heavy duty but still lightweight.  Exactly what I need for storing fruits and vegetables and leftovers during the week.

My favorite part?  The lids are ALL the same size!  GENIUS!  You never have to hunt for the right size of lid (that’s somehow always missing) again.  The lids lock in place so nice and easy.  I’m ordering another set!

Did I mention they are also stackable?  Couldn’t love them more.

So that’s it!  My five organizing solutions from QVC.  I couldn’t be happier with all of my product selections and about the new organized solutions for my home!  Which one was your favorite?

Checking all of these problem areas off of my list motivates me to tackle more!  I’m not ready for the angels to leave just yet. :)

{POST SOURCES and OTHER QVC FAVORITES}

Hello friends!  I hope you’ve all had a great start to 2019!  My kids are going back to school tomorrow (today when you are reading this!) and we had such a nice break.  I’m really sad to see it end this year!  We spent Christmas at home, then went to Utah to visit family, came home for a few days and then spent a day in Julian followed by a few days in Palm Springs.  My husband and I set a goal this year to take more short, weekend trips with our kids.  We all love to be home without plans, but we’ve found that when we have a free day Kenny ends up working, watching sports or napping, El ends up in her room talking to friends on the phone, Ad is off on her own creating a new type of slime, Kole is on the xbox and I’m in a closet organizing something. :)  All nice outlets and we love time to do our thing, but we aren’t spending quality time together.  Getting away from the house for a quick weekend more often creates some fun family time that we all love and need to prioritize more!  We didn’t have major plans for Palm Springs.. just took the kids on a hike, ate out together, swam and used the hot tub (it was cool but the pools were heated!), and then we stayed up late watching movies.  The best!  I came home feeling so relaxed and energized and ready to hit the new year running!  Or at least walking at a swift, steady pace. ;)

I’ll share a few pics from our trips soon, but today I want to share a few thoughts and tips that are on my mind about organizing because I know so many of us are working on getting our homes more clean/organized for the new year.  (Love that about January!)  I shared a round-up of some of my favorite organizing projects on IG a few days ago starting with this picture of our organized playroom closet and it brought up so many great comments and questions.

(Organized Playroom)

So here are my random thoughts to address and answer some of those questions and also just some basic tips I’ve learned throughout the years that help me keep my home clean and organized!

First I just want to stay that I think it’s really hard to focus and be productive and creative and on time and healthy and happy and ALL the good things when your surroundings are a mess.  Most of us would agree that a clean space does wonders for our sanity!  For that reason alone it’s important to prioritize getting our homes in order!  But our homes are here for us to live life in them.  They aren’t perfect and perfection isn’t the goal.  A lot of times when I share perfectly organized, clean spaces on IG I think people assume my home always looks perfect.  Please!  I have 3 kids.  My home isn’t always perfectly clean.  I finish an organizing project and snap that perfect picture and then we get on with life and my kids have 10 friends over and rooms are a mess in minutes.  My spaces are organized and work well for us, but things don’t stay Pinterest perfect lined up all the time.  Those of you who follow my blog know that.  But what is true about my home (and I feel like this is key!) is that it doesn’t take too much work to get my home clean again.  By clean I don’t mean floors and showers scrubbed (that is a lot of work and I have help when it comes to the deep cleaning!).  By clean I mean everything picked up and put away where it goes and looking presentable with closets and drawers and cupboards mostly tidy.  The reason I’m able to do this without too much effort is because of a few reasons..

1 – I don’t keep things we don’t use/love.  I know.. it can be so hard to get rid of things!  But you won’t have an organized home until you can learn to purge and get rid of excess.  Also purging isn’t something to just do once every few years or once every January.  Especially if you like to shop like I do. ;)  We have to re-assess what we use/need and let go of things we aren’t using often.  The good news is that the more you do it, the easier it gets!

*Here’s a tip on getting rid of sentimental items that are hard to part with (I struggle with this too!).  Focus on what you want to keep, not what you’re saying good-bye to.  

(Organized Blankets and Towels)

When I was organizing this hallway blanket closet I really struggled with letting go of some of my kids’ small baby blankets.  I had so many and they all reminded me of such a special time and lots of late nights rocking and cuddling.  I looked at the huge pile of baby blankets and I pulled out my favorites.  The blankets that I really love the most and had the most meaning.  The rest I quickly put in a bag for goodwill and told myself that they would make another mom and baby happy.  I didn’t focus on the blankets I gave away, but instead I focused on the baby blankets I kept and thought about the memories associated with them and how happy I was to hold on to them.  It was hard giving the rest to goodwill at the time (I felt like I was saying good-bye all over again to that stage of life with my kids) but do you think I’ve missed them since?  I haven’t thought about them once until now because I’m writing this post!  And this closet has stayed organized because it’s not overflowing with blankets we never use.

2 – Everything I do keep has a place.  I’ve worked hard over the years to establish a place for everything.  If you find that you are constantly putting things in different places and can’t find something when you need it, it’s time to stop and think about what location makes the most sense for that item.  Group it with similar items and give it a permanent HOME.

I remember after we moved into our new home never having a place for my camera.  I kept setting it in different closets/drawers/cupboards and spent way too much time looking for it when I needed it.  I finally cleaned out a pull out drawer in my office, rounded up other camera equipment and similar items and decided this was their home.  This picture was taken right after I organized this drawer.  Everything isn’t this perfectly lined up right now!  But the same items are there and my kids know where the stapler is if they need it and I can easily find my camera and put it away when I’m done using it.  GIVE ITEMS YOU’RE KEEPING A SET HOME.  Everything you own!  Give it a place to live and show your family and tell them that’s where those items should always be put away.

3 – I never let my home get too out of control.  I always get asked “how do you KEEP your spaces organized?”  It’s one thing to get motivated and purge and organize a closet.  It’s another thing to keep it organized and clean.  The secret I’ve learned is setting up habits (things you just do without even thinking about doing them!) to keep your home clean.  These are a few things I do often that are just habits I’ve formed over the years by doing them again and again.. and again!

• I don’t go to bed at night with a messy kitchen.  Other spaces can be messy but I always load dishes and clean my kitchen counters and sink after dinner and again before bed.  Waking up to a clean kitchen starts my day off better!
• Every time I get groceries (usually twice a week) I do a mini fridge/pantry clean out.  Before I put new items in I quickly toss expired items, wipe off a few shelves, etc.  This doesn’t take more than 10 minutes and it’s how I keep my fridge and pantry always clean and organized!
• After a trip/vacation I always wipe out my bathroom make-up drawers before I put my make-up back in them.  I seem to travel somewhere every 2-3 months so my bathroom drawers get a mini clean-out often enough that they stay clean and organized.  If you don’t travel as often, just set a reminder on your phone to give certain drawers/spaces a quick clean out every 2-3 months!(Organized Bathroom Drawers)
• Whenever I’m on a long phone call I wipe out and straighten a junk drawer or small drawer in my kitchen.
• I always place items my kids need to put upstairs in their rooms on our stairs and they know that means they need to take them up and put them away.
• I involve my kids often and most afternoons we do a quick 15 minute clean-up of main rooms.  They have become good helpers because I have involved them in the cleaning since they were little.  They also know that their rooms need to be cleaned each day.  Before they can hang out with friends or play the xbox or anything like that I always ask “is your room and bathroom clean?”  They keep their rooms pretty picked up most of the time because they don’t want to have to do a major overhaul every night!
• I have a routine for laundry.  (I’ll share more on that in a separate post!)
• I have a main cleaning day once a week when all of the deep cleaning happens and every other week on that day I wash all of our sheets.
• I put things away after I use them.  This seems so obvious but we don’t always do it!  It’s easier to just set something on a counter than to put it away where it goes.  But once you get used to always putting things away where they belong it becomes a habit and you don’t have to remind yourself as much.  (Same with reminding kids and spouses – do it enough and they will start putting things away just so they don’t have to hear you nagging reminding them!) ;)  I’m working on this in my closet this year.  Do you ever wonder why I haven’t shared that space?  It’s the one area I struggle to keep organized because I just can’t make myself consistently hang my clothes back up instead of laying them on the counter.. or the floor.. or anywhere but the hanger.  Ha. :)  #2019goals

So that’s it!  Get rid of things you don’t use or love.  Give everything an organized home.  Work hard to keep things clean by establishing habits that are part of your routine.  (I have something coming soon that will help us all with establishing good habits!)  Don’t strive for perfection – leave that for bloggers. ;) .. strive to have a home that is well organized and functional and full of only what you use and love.  A home that you can clean quickly after the daily messes.  That has always been my goal!  We live in our home and it can get messy, but if I suddenly found out people were coming over in 20 minutes (which happens all the time now that I have a teenager!) I love that our home can be whipped back into shape quickly without too much effort.

I hope that answers some questions, gives you some ideas and helps kick things off if you are working on home organization this year!  I have so many organizing projects on my list and can’t wait to get started!  2019 is going to be a good, well organized year for us all.. I just know it.

:)