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Archive through May 01, 2006

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Jan. 2007 ~ Mar. 2007: Home and Garden: TVCH's Home & Life Organization (ARCHIVES): Archive through May 01, 2006 users admin

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Vacanick
Member

07-12-2004

Saturday, April 15, 2006 - 7:37 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vacanick a private message Print Post    
Great suggestions! I never thought of the school's nurse ... that's a really good idea.

I'm working on my clutter today and will remember your words of encouragement!

Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 7:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vee a private message Print Post    
Good idea to call the school nurse and ask if there's a need. I never would have thought of that one.

Remember the teacup collection that my mother and I were working on? She had lots of her own and then had to absorb or chose to absorb all my grandmother's as well. This is the outcome of that project...just took a photo over Easter. Now my mother did give away 8 teacups and saucers so we made a little progress. LOL!

C

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 8:18 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
Not just the school nurse, ask if there's a need in Kinder classes too! They keep extra clothes on hand for accidents and messy projects in class to avoid having to send the kids home or calling the parents to bring clothes in.

Also, if you happen to have childrens books your looking at getting rid of ask the school library. My sister donated books a while back to my nieces school...her school is new, 2-3 years, and sis called me afterwards ticked off and sad because when she took the books to the library she was shocked to see how few books they actually had.

Vee, I think the teacup collection looks wonderful!

I have a new project I need to work on but I'm not sure how to go about it. Darren has a train set that he tinkers with occassionaly. He has a 4 ft x 8 ft piece of plywood that sits on two craft tables with the track set up on it, but at the moment there is all kinds of junk piled up on it. I'm ok with the train set, it's in the den, out of sight unless you actually walk into the room, plus the den is used for the kids tv and video games and our puters so theres room. It's just the crap on top driving me nuts. Problem is, most of it is Darrens. Boxes of train stuff, tools, train books and magazines and supplies. I'm really not sure what to do with any of it. I do have a closet and some cabinets in the laundry room which is the other side of the half wall from the train set. I haven't been in the cabinets in at least a year and I'm thinking maybe clean those out (if I haven't seen the stuff in that long do I really need it???) and storing his stuff up there. I'm going to consider this for a few days.

Dipo
Member

04-23-2002

Wednesday, April 19, 2006 - 2:11 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dipo a private message Print Post    
Wargod, can you get some nice bins that can be labeled and stored under the table where the train sits? Just an idea.

Vee-- those teacups look fabulous!!

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Wednesday, April 19, 2006 - 9:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
I thought about that Dipo. I'm just not sure I like the idea of having even the bins out in the open though.

My dens kind of the problem area of the house. It's our play room, kids play in here, we do too. Also makes it very prone to clutter, though not really the type I can get rid of. LOL, I'm pretty sure the kids wouldn't be happy to find their toy box gone and I wouldn't be happy with my craft stuff gone. It's not stuff that sits and never gets used, this is toys, craft stuff that gets used quite often. I just don't know if I want to leave more in here than what's already here, especially if it's something thats likely to sit for a few weeks between being used.

I think maybe this will be my next big project, figuring out a way to organize the den better, everything from my crafts to the kids toys to Darrens trains cuz the way it is now is driving me nuts, lol.

Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 5:48 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vee a private message Print Post    
Ohhh, what a delicious project you have ahead of you, Wargod, and what a challenge to combine all three elements into one space.

My craft space is in the basement...not ideal.

Anyway, your project has spurred me to do a little Googling...lots of good information out there from storage solutions to books. Speaking of books, this is one that perhaps your library could round up for you...Where Women Create. It probably wouldn't include the kinds of space that your dh and the kids need, but it might give some good ideas and a photo is always worth a lot.

We use chrome shelving purchased at a warehouse store and costing around $70 for extra storage. I have searched online for a similar product without success. Soooo, I have taken this photo to show you what it looks like. We love it because it is easily moved and stores so much! It's four feet wide and six feet tall on large wheels that have brakes when stationary. Mine doesn't look too pretty, but if you can imagine your craft items neatly placed there in clear, labeled boxes...it might be a good, inexpensive solution. Imagine the same for dh's stuff...maybe the lower shelves could be used for the children's items. Just a thought...

C

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 8:09 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
I was going to say I wouldn't have room, but that's not quite the truth once I looked around. One of these days I'll have to take pics to post of the den cuz it's a mighty interesting room.

We have three big windows and a small one, two doors leading outside, one doorway opening (used to be sliding glass doors leading outside til the previous owners added on the den) from living room to den, and one from den to laundry room. There's only a half wall (instead of floor to ceiling it goes floor to halfway to the ceiling) around the laundry room, sheiliding the washer/dryer. We have very little wall space in here even before you add in all the furniture, lol.

I love this room! In the spring, summer, and fall we open all the windows and the doors and have not only a well sunlit room, but one that's got an incredible breeze going on if it's not too hot or too windy. In the winter, we have the wood burning stove and don't have to turn the heater on because it's nice and cozy. It's also a great room for diversity. The kids read and watch tv in their little corner but also have plenty of room to set up Dakota's Polly Pocket village or Caleb's army camps. We have our computers but Darren can also fiddle with his trains and I can still have room to set up a table and get to work with crafts.

I actually do like the shelving unit Vee! I've been thinking along those lines for awhile now. In the laundry room I have a small utility closet and then cabinets on top of that. Tucked in a corner under the cabinets, next to the closet is an open nook that is the perfect size for one. Plus that part of the laundry room is still easily accessible from the den and wouldn't be too far out of the way.

I plan to take a few weeks on this. First I'm going to declutter. The kids have toys they don't play with that can be donated so going through their toy box is first. Then the two bookcases, one is going in Dakota's room, unless it looks too cluttered with furniture, in which case I'm getting rid of it. The second one is definitely going. I've got school year books, first aid books, some cook books. Some of that can go to the kitchen (cookbooks,) some to my medicine closet (that'd be a good place for first aid books huh, lol,) and the yearbooks can go to our closet. I'm going to get rid of the bookcase, I don't need it, I have nowhere to put it, it's outta here, lol. And Darrens train stuff. I like the clear boxes and labelling them, that way he knows whats what.

After that my crafts. Oy, that's a job in itself. I use a small bookcase, 3 ft tall, for that, and to anyone else it looks like a huge mess. To me, I know where everything is and have a certain organizational system that makes no sense to anyone else, lol. Truth is I have so much stuff, it's overflowing. I want to get rid of that bookcase altogether, so heres where a shelving unit of some sort would come in handy. Again, the clear boxes and labelling them will work great for that.

One of my "huh, what am I going to do with that?" dilema's is the doorway between living room and den. At one time there was a sliding glass door opening to the backyard there. Now it's just a big opening. We loved it when the kids were little because they could be playing in the den and we could be in the living room and still keep an eye on what they were doing. I don't want glass doors, I don't really want any doors of anykind, or anything permanent. I still like having the den opening up to the rest of the house but I'd like to be able to close it off on occassions. I've often thought of hanging curtains I could close it off or leave them open but I'm not sure if that'd look tacky, lol. Any ideas about that?

I'm really not feeling overwhelmed. Once I figured out what I have to do, I can see how it can be broken down into a bunch of smaller projects rather than one big one. I just find myself wondering what to do once the clutters gone to make it a more organized play area for the whole family.

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 8:17 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
war, ever think of pocket doors for your den?

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 8:26 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
Pocket doors?

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 8:56 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
war, read this on pocket doors. they are doors that slide into the walls.

Calamity
Member

10-18-2001

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 9:00 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Calamity a private message Print Post    
A pocket door slides into a wall. I've also seen them called cassette doors. They're great because you can use them where a standard swinging door wouldn't fit or look good. But you have to trim the wall studs to fit them and there can't be any electrical outlets, vents or other such fixtures in the way. I have one between my kitchen and the landing that leads to my inside garage door and the basement steps.

Another option is pair of track doors (or one track door with a stationary panel) if you can't use pocket doors. They're like exterior sliding deck doors but you can use regular interior wood doors mounted on a track. Drawback here is that it will make the door opening smaller.

Or you can use folding doors. They're similar to bi-fold closet doors.

I like the curtain idea too - depending on the style and material, it wouldn't have to look tacky :-) .

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 10:03 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
Ah, thank you! I couldn't use pocket doors though, on either side of the opening is electrical outlets.

I thought about the folding doors but I think they'd be more in the way than anything. Much like the den, I have very little in the way of walls in the living room. One wall has the large couch, one the small, the third has the opening between the den and the living room, and the fourth is floor to ceiling built in bookcases (my reason for wanting THIS house, LOL!) We're tight on space in there as it is so having something that'd...stick out would be more of a pain than anything.

LOL, as I'm typing I'm telling Secretsmile about my plans and she suggested photo screens. After looking at them I'm really liking this idea as a divider between the rooms. They can be folded and put out of the way when I want or set up easily. I'm going to have to see what Darren thinks about this, lol!

Calamity
Member

10-18-2001

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 11:07 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Calamity a private message Print Post    
That sounds like a lovely and practical solution! I've considered putting in a sliding screen to separate my living room and dining room areas (for cat reasons).

I loved running through beaded curtains when I was a kid.

Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Monday, May 01, 2006 - 7:26 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vee a private message Print Post    
A new month means a new habit from *FlyLady* and here it is: "It's time for Moving in May!"

January - Shining your Sink
February - Decluttering for 15 minutes a day
March - Getting Dressed to the Shoes
April - Making your Bed
May - Exercise for 15 minutes a day

How am I doing?
- Shine sinks daily V+
- Declutter daily V
- Get dressed to shoes daily V (the shoes part is still tough for me)
- Make bed daily V+
- Exercise daily for 15 minutes V++ (I walk for at least a half an hour daily.)

Happy fluttering, everybody!

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Monday, May 01, 2006 - 7:43 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
most of my house is decluttered. thanks to all the birthday party prep. now the task is to keep it that way!

How am I doing?
- Shine sinks daily - L
- Declutter daily - L
- Get dressed to shoes daily - L (it took till 5:00pm to get dressed yesterday)
- Make bed daily - L-
- Exercise daily for 15 minutes L


Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Monday, May 01, 2006 - 7:54 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vee a private message Print Post    
Does the "L" stand for a check, landi? I should've gotten fancy and used a real check instead of that misleading "V"...LOL!

I'd say you're doing greaaaat!

Vacanick
Member

07-12-2004

Monday, May 01, 2006 - 8:02 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vacanick a private message Print Post    
So this is the May list of things to do daily .. on top of the lists for January - April. Is that right? Vee ... how much time does this take you daily?? Just curious!

Happy May!

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Monday, May 01, 2006 - 8:06 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
you used "V", I used "L" that's what i figured.

Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Monday, May 01, 2006 - 8:15 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vee a private message Print Post    
Once the sink is shined, it doesn't take very long to maintain so I think that's a minute or two. Decluttering is an automatic 15 minutes, getting dressed, including a shower, takes me a bit more than 15, but that's an individual thing, making up the bed is a mere whoosh of the comforter and a plumping of the pillows...less than a minute, exercising is an automatic 30 (my choice). So I am up to an hour and twenty minutes or less on this list alone.

Now I included my bathroom cleaning time with the time I take to get dressed so I don't have to add that in later. It's the "swish and swipe" method that happens daily. With a good feather duster that collects the dust and doesn't spread it, dusting my entire house can be done in less than five minutes...I do that a couple of times a week. Hotspot attention can take up to five minutes per room per day. Laundry takes a good 15 a day... All I know, Nic, is that I spend a lot less time cleaning this way than I used to... I used to clean all day long. And I thought that was necessary. I would get caught up in these endless cycles of cleaning cracks with a toothbrush sorts of things. Now there are special things that need to be done, but they are never more than 15 minutes at a whack.

Have you checked out Flylady's site? Everything you need to know to follow her plan is right there for free. Gotta love her!

ETA: That's what I thought you did, landi, that's so cute!

Vacanick
Member

07-12-2004

Monday, May 01, 2006 - 9:00 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vacanick a private message Print Post    
I need to check out that site again Vee. I'm still in the "all day long" cleaning mode ... it's exhausting!

Dipo
Member

04-23-2002

Monday, May 01, 2006 - 9:08 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dipo a private message Print Post    
LOL, I am doing well with the sink, making the bed, getting excercise. But I don't really declutter every day (don't have that much stuff anymore). What I have had to add is clean out the kitty box and water the outdoor plants. Those are my two current challenges!! I always hate cleaning the kitty box so if I do it every morning it isn't that big a deal, and now that it is hot (today it is supposed to be 86) I need to water my patio plants everyday

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Monday, May 01, 2006 - 9:57 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
I HATE HATE HATE the litter box! my mother had a kennel when i was growing up. i've cleaned up more poop than anyone ever needs to do in a lifetime. i want the cat from "meet the parents" that goes in the potty!

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Monday, May 01, 2006 - 10:53 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
I'm avoiding the laundry. But if I don't get cracking, we're gonna be butt-nekkid soon! Argh. I am so low-energy I am flatlining, and yesterday I slept in a good portion of the day.

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Monday, May 01, 2006 - 12:05 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
LOL Mame. I've found if I don't start soon after I wake up, I drag all day. It's like what I do the first few minutes sets the tone for the day (maybe that's the point of dressing to the shoes.)

I have to say, laundry is my least favorite chore, especially lately with the dryer acting up. It takes at least two cycles through to get clothes dry. As a result I have laundry backed up. Add to it that I just took out summer clothes and sheets that need to be washed and the pile is overwhelming.

At one point I tried Flylady's 15 minute cleaning schedule. I hated it. I got less done than I did doing it my way, but as I stood there looking at loads and loads of laundry needing to be sorted and feeling like I'd never get it done I thought what the heck. I set my mind to it, I was going to work 15 minutes straight, wasn't going to give up in frustration or despair. Set my timer and got to work. Looking at it as 15 minutes of work didn't seem quite as overwhelming. By the time the timer went off I was finished sorting and had the baskets set up in the order they needed to be washed. So for that at least, I liked the 15 minute thing, lol!

It's the routine for me that works wonders, no matter how I decide to make that routine. 15 minutes or cleaning til I feel like stopping. If the works done daily, it's easy and quick to take care of. Skip a day and I end up cleaning more than I should. I do clean all day, but it's not really like that. I do my work in the morning then have the afternoon to myself. But once the kids come home I go go go again. Wash snack dishes and wipe down counters. Wipe up the bathroom when they're finished with bath/shower. Pick up once they go to bed. It's never ending, lol.

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Monday, May 01, 2006 - 12:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    

For you, War, just cuz you made me smile. :-)

ETA - and NOW you've inspired me to get off my duff and do the laundry.