Thank goodness for our weekly babysitter, otherwise I have no idea how I'd get any thing accomplished in a timely manner. The babysitter arrived early and I quickly began to check things off my to-do list.
A long, relaxing shower was first on my to-do list. I know it sounds unbelievably simple, but showering when you have a toddler means quick showers. I am happy to report that I not only had time to wash my hair, but also shave my legs, too! Sorry, too much information. But I'm sure my fellow moms can relate. I even had time to blow dry and flat iron my hair... what a luxury! Sometimes it's the little things in life that seem to count the most.
I ran several errands, which included running to the mall, Old Time Pottery, Home Depot, Gumballs & Overalls and Publix. I had to make a return to Sears and while I was there, I picked up some pajamas for Bella that were super on sale. I've been wanting a new lamp for the living room, so I headed to Old Time Pottery and picked up a floor lap and dust pan & broom set for Bella. I needed to stop by Home Depot to pick up 3-way light bulbs for the new lamp. And finally at Gumballs & Overalls, I picked up an outfit I ordered for Bella back in December. I finished up my errands with a quick trip to Publix for a few odds and ends. I had a busy morning, but I was home by noon.
With my remaining hour of the babysitter, I began going through storage bin after storage bin of Bella's baby clothes. I'm in the process of purging clothes Bella never really wore and giving those clothes to my friend Lisa, whose baby girl is due next month. I made my way through the 0-3 month and 3-6 month clothes and have a huge pile for Lisa. I began organizing and putting away the clothes we're keeping. I managed to put away everything that doesn't need to be hung up in the closet. Next week I will buy the closet organizer and begin putting those clothes away. There's no doubt about it... my girls have A LOT of clothes. I am really going to try to curb my shopping and make due with what we have, which is a ton of clothes! Although I can redeem Gymbucks tomorrow at Gymboree, so perhaps I'll stop shopping after I used my coupon.
I am pretty darn proud of myself for accomplishing so much in such a short amount of time. I really try to make the most of my "free time" when the babysitter is here. Whether it's running errands, shopping solo or doing stuff around the house, I try to have a game plan prior to the babysitter arriving so that I can take advantage of the time she is here. I look forward to Tuesdays, even though I'm usually super busy. It's nice to get stuff done without a toddler in tow.
And now it's time to catch up with a few DVR'ed shows... happy Tuesday y'all!
Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2
Showing posts with label organizing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organizing. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
A clean house is a happy house!
Our house is back to it's normal, organized and clean state. This is such a relief for me, because there's nothing I hate more than an unorganized and unclean house. The furniture is dusted, the floors are so clean you could eat off of them and all three of the bathrooms are sanitized. And I am VERY THANKFUL to say that I didn't have to lift a finger to do any of the cleaning! My mother-in-law bought us a Groupon for to have our house cleaned three times. How awesome is that?!?
When it was just Ian and I, we both worked and we shared equal responsibility in chores around the house. We usually did chores on the weekend and our house stayed immaculate for weeks. When we moved, added two dogs and a baby to the mix, keeping up with chores became a bit more difficult. Rather than waste away our weekends cleaning the house, I made time during the week to get the majority of the chores finished during Bella's nap times. We have a pretty big house and cleaning can be a daunting task. Thankfully, Ian often does more than his fair share of chores, which is great. For the past 6 months or so, we've actually hired a housekeeper who comes once or twice a month to deep clean our house it has worked out well. We keep the house neat and tidy and she will come in and do a thorough, deep cleaning of everything. I love it.
The linens on all of the beds are fresh and clean. All of the furniture is polished. The floors are squeaky clean. And all of my bathrooms are spotless. What a great way to start a busy week! Hopefully your Monday was just as great as mine!
Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2
When it was just Ian and I, we both worked and we shared equal responsibility in chores around the house. We usually did chores on the weekend and our house stayed immaculate for weeks. When we moved, added two dogs and a baby to the mix, keeping up with chores became a bit more difficult. Rather than waste away our weekends cleaning the house, I made time during the week to get the majority of the chores finished during Bella's nap times. We have a pretty big house and cleaning can be a daunting task. Thankfully, Ian often does more than his fair share of chores, which is great. For the past 6 months or so, we've actually hired a housekeeper who comes once or twice a month to deep clean our house it has worked out well. We keep the house neat and tidy and she will come in and do a thorough, deep cleaning of everything. I love it.
The linens on all of the beds are fresh and clean. All of the furniture is polished. The floors are squeaky clean. And all of my bathrooms are spotless. What a great way to start a busy week! Hopefully your Monday was just as great as mine!
Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2
Friday, November 11, 2011
Photogs
Ever since Bella was born, we have spent more money on pictures than we would probably like to admit. Since the time she was born, we've basically had monthly photo sessions at a local studio. We also take pictures of her all the time using our point and shoot camera and our iPhones. Needless to say, we have a ton of pictures of Bella but I always longed for more.
Several friends of ours own fancy cameras, like the Canon T2i and the Nikon D5000, so we know what's out there and have been doing research for several months. So, after much deliberation, research and asking random strangers about their cameras... we are now the proud owners of a Nikon D5100 DSLR camera and it is awesome! I've taken a few pictures around the house, using the different lenses and the quality is amazing!
We did sooooo much research and asked sooooo many people about which DSLR camera they used. We spoke with professional photographers, strangers at Busch Gardens and our friends and family. It was a 50/50 toss up between Canon and Nikon. At the price range we were looking at, the Canon and Nikon models were neck and neck. For us, Nikon out performed Canon in shutter speed, battery life and price. An opportunity presented itself at Best Buy and we were able to buy the camera, a 55-300 mm lens and a bag with a 3-year protection plan for less than we originally anticipated. We also purchased several other accessories, like U/V lens covers and a memory card. We're also within 2-weeks of black Friday, so if the camera happens to go lower, then Best Buy will honor the lower price. At the end of the day, we got a great deal and we're very happy with our purchase. This, along with a new TV for our bedroom will be our gifts for each other. Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to us!
We are total amateurs, but we are ready and willing to learn. We'd even like to take a basic photography class together and make this a hobby. Yes, Ian is going to participate in this new endeavor with me. We've never really taken up a hobby together, so this is a first for us. Now we just have to get the hang of it before baby #2 arrives... in April. I know there's a lot to learn and a lot of practice involved, but it'll be easy to practice with the world's cutest child living in our house!
I'm new to this fancy camera business, so it will be a work in progress. So bear with me, as I will be taking pictures and hopefully uploading them to our blog. Over time the quality and quantity should increase... if I have any bit of talent. Hopefully Ian will be behind the lens more often and I'll actually be in front of the lens (which is a rarity). Wish us luck!
After our shopping excursion this morning, we managed to clean out and organize the bedroom that will be home to baby #2. This bedroom has accumulated EVERYTHING that we didn't know what to do with since Bella was born. My goal was to get rid of as much stuff as possible and we really did some damage. We have a TON of stuff to donate, we have a TON of stuff to give to friends/family and very little left to organize. Thank goodness we accomplished this goal because our deadline was quickly approaching. The room and closet are empty and ready to be painted when my dad arrives in less than 2-weeks. But all of our hard work did a number on my back and I am so sore. A hot bath and some sleep are definitely on my agenda tonight!
And with that being said... it's time to relax and enjoy a quiet evening at home. Happy Friday, Happy Veteran's Day and Happy 11/11/11!
Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2
Several friends of ours own fancy cameras, like the Canon T2i and the Nikon D5000, so we know what's out there and have been doing research for several months. So, after much deliberation, research and asking random strangers about their cameras... we are now the proud owners of a Nikon D5100 DSLR camera and it is awesome! I've taken a few pictures around the house, using the different lenses and the quality is amazing!
We did sooooo much research and asked sooooo many people about which DSLR camera they used. We spoke with professional photographers, strangers at Busch Gardens and our friends and family. It was a 50/50 toss up between Canon and Nikon. At the price range we were looking at, the Canon and Nikon models were neck and neck. For us, Nikon out performed Canon in shutter speed, battery life and price. An opportunity presented itself at Best Buy and we were able to buy the camera, a 55-300 mm lens and a bag with a 3-year protection plan for less than we originally anticipated. We also purchased several other accessories, like U/V lens covers and a memory card. We're also within 2-weeks of black Friday, so if the camera happens to go lower, then Best Buy will honor the lower price. At the end of the day, we got a great deal and we're very happy with our purchase. This, along with a new TV for our bedroom will be our gifts for each other. Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to us!
We are total amateurs, but we are ready and willing to learn. We'd even like to take a basic photography class together and make this a hobby. Yes, Ian is going to participate in this new endeavor with me. We've never really taken up a hobby together, so this is a first for us. Now we just have to get the hang of it before baby #2 arrives... in April. I know there's a lot to learn and a lot of practice involved, but it'll be easy to practice with the world's cutest child living in our house!
I'm new to this fancy camera business, so it will be a work in progress. So bear with me, as I will be taking pictures and hopefully uploading them to our blog. Over time the quality and quantity should increase... if I have any bit of talent. Hopefully Ian will be behind the lens more often and I'll actually be in front of the lens (which is a rarity). Wish us luck!
After our shopping excursion this morning, we managed to clean out and organize the bedroom that will be home to baby #2. This bedroom has accumulated EVERYTHING that we didn't know what to do with since Bella was born. My goal was to get rid of as much stuff as possible and we really did some damage. We have a TON of stuff to donate, we have a TON of stuff to give to friends/family and very little left to organize. Thank goodness we accomplished this goal because our deadline was quickly approaching. The room and closet are empty and ready to be painted when my dad arrives in less than 2-weeks. But all of our hard work did a number on my back and I am so sore. A hot bath and some sleep are definitely on my agenda tonight!
And with that being said... it's time to relax and enjoy a quiet evening at home. Happy Friday, Happy Veteran's Day and Happy 11/11/11!
Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Cleaning 101
I posted several weeks ago about how I hired a housekeeper to help me maintain the inside of our house. We decided that she should come every three weeks and so she's scheduled to come clean our house next Monday. Obviously, I have been maintaining things and the time line of every three weeks works perfectly for us. I cannot live in a dirty house, but I've learned to let go and let the housekeeper do the deep cleaning. It's just nice to not have to polish the furniture or scrub the tile floors. Is it Monday yet?
Part of my daily routine includes washing all the dishes, wiping down the kitchen counters and picking up the house. I cannot stand dirty dishes in the sink, especially when the dish washer is located right next to the sink. I mean, is it really that difficult to load dirty dishes into the dish washer? I also try to go through and organize the mail. The amount of mail we receive is ridiculous! By organizing the mail (shred, recycle and keep) it makes our mail pile less daunting. These little tasks only take a few minutes each day but help in the overall cleaning process. I think this makes keeping a clean and tidy house much easier. I'm fairly organized and so everything has a place in our house. When things are neat and organized, it makes other chores so much easier. Now if only I could stay on top of putting laundry away...
In preparation for the housekeeper's arrival, I've done a few things to help make the entire process easier. I've composed a checklist of what to clean and what cleaning products to use. I know it sounds a little OCD, but I prefer to use certain cleaning products in certain areas (i.e. no chemicals in Bella's room). I hope the housekeeper appreciates my checklist and this will assure that everything is cleaned to my liking. I've used the checklist myself and it helps me keep track of what I've done and what still needs to be done.
I recently purchased a new stick vacuum cleaner and a new steam mop. I listed our old steam mop on Craigslist and it actually sold! I was quite excited because it's my first sale on Craigslist and it was pretty much effortless. The new stick vacuum is awesome! It is cordless and it is powerful! The battery last 15-20 minutes which gives me more than enough time to quickly vacuum several times a week. It only takes 3 hours to recharge the battery, so I can get all my quick vacuuming completed within the same day. It's lightweight and is perfect for my every day vacuuming. It sure beats lugging out the Dyson vacuum cleaner! The new steam mop is pretty sweet, too! It came with several cleaning heads and can be used as a handheld steamer. I've used it on the sliding glass door and it easily melted off the toddler fingerprints and dog nose prints. New cleaning products always make cleaning more fun... in my opinion.
Anyway... that's how I keep our house clean and organized! It may not work for everybody but it works for our household. Now if I could only convince Ian to hire a live-in housekeeper... I'll keep dreaming about that one!
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
Part of my daily routine includes washing all the dishes, wiping down the kitchen counters and picking up the house. I cannot stand dirty dishes in the sink, especially when the dish washer is located right next to the sink. I mean, is it really that difficult to load dirty dishes into the dish washer? I also try to go through and organize the mail. The amount of mail we receive is ridiculous! By organizing the mail (shred, recycle and keep) it makes our mail pile less daunting. These little tasks only take a few minutes each day but help in the overall cleaning process. I think this makes keeping a clean and tidy house much easier. I'm fairly organized and so everything has a place in our house. When things are neat and organized, it makes other chores so much easier. Now if only I could stay on top of putting laundry away...
In preparation for the housekeeper's arrival, I've done a few things to help make the entire process easier. I've composed a checklist of what to clean and what cleaning products to use. I know it sounds a little OCD, but I prefer to use certain cleaning products in certain areas (i.e. no chemicals in Bella's room). I hope the housekeeper appreciates my checklist and this will assure that everything is cleaned to my liking. I've used the checklist myself and it helps me keep track of what I've done and what still needs to be done.
I recently purchased a new stick vacuum cleaner and a new steam mop. I listed our old steam mop on Craigslist and it actually sold! I was quite excited because it's my first sale on Craigslist and it was pretty much effortless. The new stick vacuum is awesome! It is cordless and it is powerful! The battery last 15-20 minutes which gives me more than enough time to quickly vacuum several times a week. It only takes 3 hours to recharge the battery, so I can get all my quick vacuuming completed within the same day. It's lightweight and is perfect for my every day vacuuming. It sure beats lugging out the Dyson vacuum cleaner! The new steam mop is pretty sweet, too! It came with several cleaning heads and can be used as a handheld steamer. I've used it on the sliding glass door and it easily melted off the toddler fingerprints and dog nose prints. New cleaning products always make cleaning more fun... in my opinion.
Anyway... that's how I keep our house clean and organized! It may not work for everybody but it works for our household. Now if I could only convince Ian to hire a live-in housekeeper... I'll keep dreaming about that one!
Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella
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