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Decluttering Checklist: Week Six

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This week I continued to work on the girls’ room. I hung the new rods and curtain panels and we put Rachel and Hannah’s belongings in the new dresser, wardrobe and bins.  Do the sheers look better loosely hanging or pushed more to the sides?

I also spent time planting a vegetable garden and flowers in the backyard.

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It was the second week of the Uncluttered course. This week’s assignment was to walk around the rooms of my home observing the stuff in them. Then, to go around again with a trash bag, filling it up with things I know I can get rid of right away.

The tour around my home was, for the most part, a happy one.  I took written notes about each room such as:

  • I’m going to go through everything in here
  • I’m done here except for some decorating and organizing
  • Done, but need to follow our routines better

When I got to the schoolroom, I felt a little worried. There was the usual stuff that I can totally handle, but there were also scrapbooks, photos, the VHS-C project, and other sentimental items that I’m not ready to deal with. I continued the tour downstairs, feeling more positive.

  • Need to make seasonal changes and declutter in here
  • There isn’t much clutter showing in here, but I’ll need to go through cabinets and drawers
  • Looks good in here

Then I got to the basement and wrote, “Aagh!!!!!!”

I listed items to get rid of and categories to go through.  Then I wrote, “Many hours!  Days!  Weeks!”  And then after that I had to tell Bobby for the fifteenth time that I am working on the main areas of the house first, and when I’m finished, then I’ll make Matthew work on the basement with me. And I’m going to get rid of a lot of stuff! (I was really trying to convince myself that it will happen.)

The hardest thing for me seems to be finding time when I am home to work on this. I’ve been out a lot and we had a Confirmation party last Sunday and we’re having a 7th birthday party for Mary this Saturday, so I’m also spending time on cleaning, party prep and socializing.  No more excuses… I am going to commit to at least 15 minutes each day this week.  I want to make progress.  I CAN DO THIS!!

Decluttering Checklist: Week Five

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This week I checked off:

Nothing again!

I continued to shop for items for the girls’ room. A wardrobe, some sheer curtain panels and cheap curtain rods, a lamp, and storage bins. I’ve set a deadline of next weekend to finish this project.

This was the first week of Becoming Minimalist’s Spring 2018 Uncluttered Course. I’ve  had lifetime access to this course since I first registered for it (for free) by pre-ordering Joshua Becker’s book, The More of Less. So I’ve been through the course before. It hasn’t gotten me through my whole home, but I signed up again for extra inspiration. I joined the closed Facebook group, which I hadn’t done before. This week’s challenge was to list the reasons why you want to declutter your home and post it somewhere you will see it often. (And reduce it to one sentence and post it to the Facebook group.)

There are many reasons why I want to declutter. Maybe I’ll list them in another post, but here’s the sentence I wrote on a sticky note and posted on my bathroom mirror:

I want to declutter my entire home and practice a rule of life so that I may love God, others and myself better.

Decluttering Checklist: Week Four

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This week I checked off:

NOTHING!!

I’ve been working on the kids’ rooms project, which I wrote about last week.  This has involved lots of shopping and acquiring new stuff, and getting rid of the large bunkbed/trundle/storage unit that used to be in the girls’ room. I’m happy to say that a young man picked it up this morning for his ten year old son. I posted it on Craigslist for free, and it took me a full three days to get rid of it.  I had twenty people express interest in it, but they weren’t committing to a pick up time. Next time I’m going to try a Buy Nothing Facebook group that my friend told me about recently.

So I have purchased two beds, two nightstands and a dresser. I spent an evening putting Mary’s daybed together. I also let the girls get a waste basket, which they’ve been wanting for years. We found it for $5 at Target. And we purchased a picture, a picture frame, a candle (for decoration, not for burning), and a light up “H” for Hannah. I had 4 photos Joseph wanted framed, printed at Walgreen’s and I bought frames for them. New komono.

The girls and I have been discussing the goals of this project. Well, my goals of this project.  (They might just want a pretty room.) They are simply to have a place for everything, and everything in its place.

More specifically, there are these three goals:

  1. To assign a home for each item that we use and/or love. (Or that matches the room décor.)
  2. To put things away when you are done using them.
  3. To have certain times each day for putting things back where they belong. (Because let’s be real, some people are not going to accomplish goal #2)

I eventually plan to have room tours on this blog.  But right now I am focused on finishing setting up their room, and then getting right back to the decluttering checklist.

Decluttering Checklist: Week Three

/ Cheryl Wilcox / 2 Comments

This week I checked off:

  • Joseph’s room
  • The girls’ room

I had expected to get much more decluttering done during the past week, which was school vacation, BUT…

I turned this into a major project. The girls room, which Rachel, Hannah, and Mary share, was very cluttered. Hannah and Mary slept on a used bunk bed/trundle/storage unit that we were given for free a few years ago.  Hannah kept asking that they get their own beds, and Rachel really wanted to make some changes in their room. Here are some before pictures.

So we took every single item out and moved it into the hallway and the school room. It was crazy how much stuff was in that room.

Then I started to panic. It was overwhelming. We probably took a snack break.

Then we cleaned the room, and here’s where I made this into an even bigger project.  I took down the bunk bed. We put all the pieces in my garage bay. (I still can’t park in there.) I moved the rest of the furniture out.

Ah!! The calm of an empty space. It was all ready to paint. But no, there wasn’t time for that. If it was summer, I would have done it, but we needed our school room back on the following Monday.

The next step was decluttering Joseph’s room. I moved the things he wanted to keep into the empty room.  This took up most of Tuesday. He got rid of some clothes, books, komono and loads of paper. He kept every single Lego.

On Wednesday, we went through the girls’ stuff. They got rid of some, but on Wednesday night (and Thursday) we went shopping. We plan to replace the bunk bed with other furniture, but I haven’t made any decisions yet. We bought a new lamp, a comforter set for Rachel’s bed, and a set of plastic drawers. And then I had a very busy three days and now vacation is over. So this project will be continued…

Decluttering Checklist: Week Two

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This week I checked off:

  • kitchen desk
  • foyer closet
  • utility closet
  • pantry

For decluttering the kitchen desk, I tried something called the “Shock Treatment Declutter Method”.  I read about it on Uncluttered Simplicity.

  1. I took everything out of my desk and put it on my bed.

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Then I sorted it into these categories:

  • Paper (in piles and files) and Product Manuals (in binders)
  • Cookbooks
  • Matthew’s paper tray
  • Electronics
  • Stationery
  • Office Supplies
  • Cash
  • Keys
  • Gift Cards
  • Library/Store Cards
  • Kids’ bank books and cash (in tin)
  • Decorations
  • Items to repair

2.  I surveyed the damage. I observed that there was stuff with no assigned homes, too much paper, things I never use, and that my paper filing system was not simple enough. I decided to keep paper separate as it is listed on my checklist as a “Major Project”.

3.  Step 3 is to ruthlessly eliminate. I don’t think I was ruthless, but I eliminated stuff and I was happy that most of the things I returned to my desk are things I use regularly. (I may not use the sticky tabs often, and I kept a few paper clips that I may not need.)

Next was the foyer closet. I removed 2 games with the kids’ permission, and 24 hangers.

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I noticed I’d like to replace the ironing board cover. I started a wish list. (Maybe I’ll get one for Christmas.)

I took everything out of the utility closet.  (See below.) I sorted into these categories:

  • cleaning supplies
  • children’s medicine
  • first aid
  • bandages & tape
  • aprons
  • sunscreen/bug spray

I got rid of old stuff, and reorganized.

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The pantry was a mess. I forgot to take a before picture, and I’m glad I did. Here is the after picture.

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It will be a little more filled up after our next food shopping trip. Those Easter pails will be stored in the basement with the Easter decorations after more candy is eaten. I am pleased that everything in here has a home.  Most of the shelves are labeled with a category name and a little list of what goes on the shelf.  This is school vacation week, so I am expecting to declutter for a block of time each day. I may even post more frequently.

Spring Capsule Wardrobe

/ Cheryl Wilcox / 2 Comments

I made my spring capsule wardrobe by using the ebook, The French Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe Spring 2018 Collection that I purchased from the website Classy Yet Trendy.  It was SO helpful. Without it, I would not have known where to begin, and I probably wouldn’t have even made one for the spring.

I purchased about 30% of the exact recommended items; I tweaked it a little bit by substituting my own versions of  50% of the items, and the remaining 20% I skipped completely. I didn’t buy bandanas or necklaces, and I passed on two of the bottoms because I do laundry six days a week and I’m hoping I can get by with just four bottoms. So far, I’ve made it almost two weeks with just two bottoms.  It’s been so cold here!  Let me show you my wardrobe!

The bottoms: black skinny jeans, blue skinny jeans, white cropped jeans and this black mermaid skirt from the Gap

The tops: white T-shirt, gray T-shirt, black short sleeve top, black tank, striped tank, light blue pineapple shirt, gray striped shirt, beige lightweight sweater, and striped mariner shirt

The layers:  black cardigan, beige cardigan, gray cardigan, denim jacket, and a black rain coat

The footwear: black sling-backs and gray Converse sneakers that I already owned, and beige ballet flats and black slip-on wedges (both new, and not my usual styles)

The dress and accessories: a black sleeveless dress I bought a couple of years ago for $9.99, the recommended “budget-friendly” beige tote and black handbag from Target, my Hope and Read-Aloud Revival totes (I’m not sure if I’ll use both of them, but I’m keeping them in my closet anyway.)

And one more soft, lightweight, white sweater that I wore on Easter. It matches many items, so I may use it again.

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I officially started using this wardrobe on April 1st, and so far, I’m enjoying laying out a new outfit each night. Because of the cold weather, I’ve been sticking with the skinny jeans and converse sneakers. (I need to wear socks.) Three days ago, I even wore snow boots! And I haven’t packed away my winter coat and gloves yet.  It looks like warmer weather is expected at the end of this week, so more variety is coming!

Decluttering Checklist: Week One

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This week I checked off:

  • Cheryl’s clothing
  • Hannah’s clothing
  • living room
  • laundry room (1/2 bath)
  • upstairs bathroom

I purged quite a bit of girl’s size 10 hand-me-downs that we would not likely use. I also got rid of a few bath toys with Mary’s permission and some play make-up with Hannah’s permission. After years of decluttering, the bathrooms are really down to just items we use regularly.

I wrote about our purchasing new living room furniture in January. Back then we took away our old entertainment center cabinets where we stored DVD’s, and purchased a new TV console that had less storage space in it. I went through the DVD’s with most of the kids and purged several of them. Then I stored most of our DVD’s on a bookshelf in the nearby foyer closet. (See photo below.) My saints DVD’s, our Wii games and accessories, and electronic components are stored in the TV console, and Christmas DVD’s are stored elsewhere.  The living room is also home to most of Sarah’s sheet music (near her piano) and the girls’ Kindle Fires, which are stored inside of the loveseat and in an end table drawer. In another end table drawer, we store all remote controls.

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Operation Joyful Space 2.0

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Operation Joyful Space, my plan to declutter my whole house in six months has failed. Halfway through the six months, I have barely completely the tasks of the first month. I have my excuses. There were March birthdays, and three nights of Footloose the Musical. There was the announcement that the high school where my son is a junior and my daughter is a sophomore will be closing at the end of this school year; and the efforts made to try to keep the school open. (Which have succeeded, for 2018-2019 at least.) And there was my mom’s 70th birthday dinner, and my brother and his wife and son stayed with us, and Easter….

And maybe there was also some procrastination going on. Sometimes it’s hard to get started. Six months sounds like a big commitment.

So today I got back to it. I made a new checklist Decluttering the Whole House. I’ve sorted the areas in my home by the amount of time I’m guessing it will take to declutter them. There are small projects, larger projects and major projects. I intend to pick at the smaller ones daily for at least 15 minutes a day. During the upcoming April school vacation, I plan on tackling the larger projects and maybe a major one. I want to focus on this and GET IT DONE!! I also want to post my progress on this weekly, on Sundays, to give me some accountability.

Today I knocked off the first task: Cheryl’s clothing. I packed my out-of-season clothes in a bin, and stored it in the basement. What is currently stored in my dresser and in my closet? My Spring Capsule Wardrobe, pajamas, work-out clothing, yardwork/cleaning clothes, my movie popcorn T-shirt, and my bathing suit. I’ll do a Spring Capsule Wardrobe post soon. And I’ll be back on Sunday.

Self-Care

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In 2018, I resolved to make some changes. I wrote about them in my first post. I completed my Whole 30, and then from Superbowl Sunday until Mardi Gras, one could say that I took a break from healthy eating. So I decided to recommit to my resolutions for Lent, which began on February 14th this year. Here is what I’m doing:

Eating healthy.  I’m doing another six weeks of eating Whole 30 compliant foods. Maybe this time I will be able to do the reintroduction of foods when it’s over and see which foods affect me negatively, if any.

Exercising.  (5 times a week for at least 30 minutes) I have only been doing the Couch to 5K weeks one and two so far. But I think I might step it up with Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I know that it will work my arms and abs (and everything) much more than the walking and running.  I also own her Ripped in 30. That is super hard for me.

Daily meditation. I usually start by reading from a book called The Language of Letting Go. A friend gave me a copy of it years ago, before I met Bobby, at a time in my life when I was trying to take better care of myself.  I loved it, then passed it on. I recently purchased a second one, and it’s as good as I remember. I’m at another time in my life when I am trying to take better care of myself after years of letting my physical and emotional needs be low priority. I’ve also been watching the daily videos from Dynamic Catholic’s Best Lent Ever. So far, they seem to go right along with this theme of self-care. I usually do some journaling and spend about 15 minutes talking to God (like a friend) and listening in quiet.

Continuing Operation Joyful Space.  I’ll admit, progress has been slow. I need to remind myself of why this is important to me, and stop the time-wasting distractions. I visualize this project as taking things off of my overflowing plate, or taking a weight off my shoulders. I long for a calm, orderly, peaceful environment.  My ideal home is tidy. There are places for everything. Only what we love, use (or will use at a specific time) would be in it. It would be beautiful… with candles, flowers, art, music and space. Everything in it would be in good repair, taken care of, maintained.  It would be comfortable and cozy. In addition, my life would have rhythms or routines, balance, and time for what’s important. (satisfied sigh sound)  That’s why I need to persevere!

The Menstrual Journal. (shown above)  This is not for Lent. I’m doing this for three months as recommended by my OB/GYN. This is a new interest for me. Science was my least favorite subject in school. In fact, I liked every subject except for science. I’ve said for years that I have a mental block when it comes to medical things. And I used to get bored when anyone would talk about food and nutrition. And food talk, channels, shows, allergies, photos and foodies seem to have increased over the years. Food talk seems trendy now. BORING! Then I found out I was having problems with my hormones. Suddenly, I’m reading about medical stuff.  Around the same time, I began to have a desire to take better care of my body, mostly to have more energy, but also to stop the night snacking. I believe eating when I’m not hungry dulls the mind and can numb feelings too. I may be getting off track here….but my point is that now I’m interested in hormones, and my menstrual cycle, and how food affects it, etc. I’m considering that being aware of my cycle may be a key ingredient in self-care. So I’m actually enjoying keeping this journal. And I’m tracking my food, sleep, exercise and feelings in it too.

I will continue to read, learn, pray and act in ways that will make me physically, spiritually, intellectually and emotionally healthier.

One Month Update

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I started this blog almost a month ago. Since I haven’t posted in over three weeks, I am writing a little update about what I’ve been doing.

I successfully completed my Whole30. It’s way to early to tell if it will change my life or not. I did lose 7 pounds, learned to cook many new recipes, and improved my food label reading. And I did often feel like my mind was clearer and I had a good amount of energy, but I also found out this month that I have a uterus related medical problem. I had to temporarily take hormone medication that I believe made me tired and nauseous at times, screwing up my Whole30 results. I’ve continued to eat many Whole30 compliant meals and I’ve reintroduced food occasionally without being able to tell if the way I felt was related to food or other changes in my body. I also have kept up with my plan to exercise at least 5 times a week for 30 minutes. The Greatest Showman was my go to music almost daily, but I did listen to Something Rotten a few times.

Operation Joyful Space is in progress, but I am behind in my schedule. This is partly from sickness, and partly from an unexpected project that came up.  Bobby has been wanting new living room furniture for quite some time now, and last week we shopped, purchased and rearranged the stuff in our home for many days and nights. I don’t think we are finished yet. We might be changing the wall hangings or end tables, but I can get back to my decluttering project now. I hope to write about my progress soon.