Life Goals 2011

Happy New Year!  2011, you have got to be kidding?  Can someone just explain to me where the last decade two decades have gone?  I am starting off the new year posting my goals for 2011.  One of my goals is to blog regularly.  Thanks for all of you who have stuck with me, through some big gaps in blogging.

I have to admit that I cheated a bit and used my Life Goals from 2007 (that I found while in the home office) as a starting point for this coming year.  I promise to do a monthly Goal Review (and encourage you all to do the same) to assess progress.  

1) Spiritual:

*Attend church regularly 

*Visit at least THREE other Presbyterian churches to see if we can find one we like that is closer to us

*Say prayers before bed 

2)  Financial:  

*Follow Dave Ramsey Steps

*Make a monthly spending plan and track ALL expenses

*Use envelope system for certain spending categories

*Boys commission (chore charts)

*Monthly budget meeting

3)  Fitness/Health:  

*Do a month long detox (starting next week under the advisement of a nurtrionist)

*Chiropractor appts

*Exercise 90 min per week

*Healthy eating

4)  Beauty:  

*Morning/Evening routine

*Manicures/Pedicures monthly

*Schedule brow wax every 6 weeks

*Keep nails polished

5)  Home:  

*Make home binders

*Keep house clean (daily tasks)

*Keep better laundry schedule

*Organize office and closets

*Make a list of decorating/painting needs and set a schedule

6)  Career:

*Organize Module Binders

*Continue on BCT

7)  Family:

*Weekly date night with Greg

*Family game night 3x/month (each boy decides plan for night)

*Greg and Sherrie overnight getaway 2x/year

*Family vacation

*Plan  thoughtful holiday/birthday celebrations

8)  Personal:  

*Blog regularly here at Organizing Diva and my family blog  My Life With Boys

*Plan dinners out with GFs and Mom

*GNO monthly

*Dinner w/ friends

9)  Hobbies:

*Project 365

*Scrapbooking-plan one night per month to scrap

*Take a class at the Scrapbook Store

*Organize scrap supplies and set up an area for scrapping

*Make 10 layouts for each boy for 2011

10)  Menu planning:  

*Monthly menu plan

*Weekly menus

*Grocery lists

*Inventory freezer

*Inventory pantry

*Clip coupons

What are your goals for 2011? 

Pantry Organization

Well the family reunion/50th anniversary party was a raging success!  We had such a great time and everything went so well.  All the hard work and effort Greg and I have been putting in to getting the house and everything else ready was well worth it.  People were completely impressed with the house and extremely grateful for us agreeing to host.  My boys met their cousins from NY and MN and all got along fabulously.

I We did manage to get several organization/home decor projects taken care of this summer.  I will be posting photos of several of the things we accomplished this summer so keep checking back for new posts.

Now on to the pantry!  This project took took less than a day.  I started by going through all the Tupperware storage containers and throwing things out that were outdated and consolidating things into the proper sized containers.  The blue bins (I am not a fan, but my dh bought them and they work for now) hold snacks, baking supplies, granola bars, pudding and applesauce containers.  We keep them accessible so the boys can grab snacks when we need them.  Sorry for the quality of the photos as I used my iPhone, but you can get the idea of what the pantry looks like.

It is amazing how well the clutter can be hidden behind the pantry doors.

Ben wondered why on Earth I was taking photos of the nasty pantry and wanted to be in the photo.  

Scary, I know!

Much bettter!

I love my tupperware containers!  Yes we have an absolutely ridiculous amount of cereal (not all of those have cereal in them, but most do).

Look at those fabulous potatoes we got at the farmers' market.  That empty shelf is where we keep our bread (as you can see we it was time for a trip to the grocery store).

It was such a necessity to get the pantry organized prior to having all our relatives descend on our home. That empty shelf was soon filled up after a trip to Sam's club and a major purchase for feeding all our company.

I am so thrilled that the pantry is looking so great.  I love getting everything organized before school starts.  Greg put up a nail so we can hang our plastic grocery bags that we end up using for all sorts of things.  It is so nice to have them neatly organized instead of shoved in on the side.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of the newly improved pantry!  :)

No cost organizing-Tip #1 DECLUTTER

With the new year here it is very tempting to try and buy your way to organized (I have fallen into this trap myself many times).  Buying all the rubbermaid containers in the world does not mean you are organized (just check our basement).  My husband loves to buy containers and build shelves.  That is his solution to the problem of how to get organized and for some reason it just doesn't work that way.  You have to be the person putting things in those containers and on those shelves in an organized fashio.

Now so you don't all think I am a hypocrite I will certainly buy things to help organized my life.  Sometimes they are inexpensive and sometimes they can be costly (think CA closets in my dream world!).  Today going to start a series of posts on NO COST organizing.  There are so many things you can do around your house to make it more organized that do not cost a penny.

Today's tip is to declutter your home one step at a time.  It costs nothing to throw things away.  The more STUFF you get rid of the less containers you need to store things.

Set a goal for yourself to declutter everyday.  My personal decluttering goal will be 15-30 min daily depending what is going on that day.  Now this is just a daily declutter that I am hoping to form a habit (what does it take-21 days?).  There are SO many areas around my house that could use a good declutter.  Now do NOT mistake this for organizing.  These declutter sessions are focused on getting rid  of stuff that sits around your house taking up precious space.  It is not about organizing (other than moving things to where they belong.  Remember the more you get rid of the less you have to organize!

Label three boxes:
1) Give away:  Anything you plan on donating to a group or individual.  Have a space in your basement or garage to store this box and write a date on when you will get rid of it.  I suggest you write a date 30 days from your first decluttering session (at the latest).  If you know you will be going to Goodwill or the Salvation Army on a specific date write it on the box so your give away box does not become one more example of clutter in your house.

2) Throw away:  Line this box with a garbage or grocery bag.  After your decluttering session toss the contents of the box into the garbage and never look back!

3) Put away:  This is for anything that does not belong where it is.  Spend 5 quick minutes after your decluttering session putting things where they belong.

You may want to prioritize which room/area of your house in most desperate need of decluttering.  For me it would be the office or basement.  Set your timer for the amount of time you have to delutter and go to it.  It won't be so overwhelming when you have an end in sight.  I suggest 15-30 min, but if you can only spare 5 or 10 it is better than nothing.

I am now off to set my timer and head to my office.  Try it out and tell me what you think.