So haven't posted since October... 8 months.... Like a lot of things posting tomorrow became, one week, two weeks, a month...... In the last 8 months I have made quite a few changes, and have fallen behind in quite a few too. Got busy with Christmas, then cleaning up from Christmas, then recovering from cleaning up from Christmas, then getting ready for annual daycare inspection, then family life started having some pretty big distractions (everyone’s ok), crazy things with daycare (needing more kids, badly), stress....... BUT I'm not giving up!  (so here goes a rambling post, that's what happens when i'm writing instead of going to bed!)
 

Doing a lot better with keeping the main part of the house picked up all the time (easier said than done with up to 10 kids running around all day, thankfully they are also getting better about picking up toys etc too, easier to teach them to help when I’m doing better at keeping the clutter etc taken care of). However while I’ve been keeping the main house clean other areas are still behind the 3rd itty bitty bedroom that I would like to be more than a storage area, (like many things started with one box then quickly became a room filled with boxes, and while I need lots of storage space-all those toys and activities take lots of room! I at least want the room to be a functional storage space-i.e. be able to find things and actually walk more than a few steps in the room, and would love for it to become a craft/sewing/office room for me); my bedroom is more picked up then it used to be, but not as much as I would like it to be.

I'm keeping up on some of the other habits (most days I'm still drinking quite a bit of water, trying to plan ahead for non-daycare hour meals to make them healthier not just whatever is easy, I’m also using my time somewhat better, but not as good as I should be)

           I've been wanting to get back to blogging to help me keep up on things (easier to make changes when I have clear goals, and easier to have clear goals when put them somewhere!) I'm going to change how I was doing things (setting the goals for each area inc a room etc) as that didn't really work that well and now many of the rooms only need upkeep.  So here it goes.... Again....

My main goal is this weekend to work on the 'classroom' also known as the 3rd bedroom. (that I mentioned earlier) This room is itty bitty, basically a big walk in closet with a closet in it. Right now it has 2 tables (one kid one and another really small one from my apartment way back when), 3 book shelves, and a ton of junk, most in boxes or bins (everything from papers to go through, to toys that need sorted or repaired, random things that need to go to the attic and things that just need to be put away).  It's a very ambitious project, in the very least (if I don't get all the sorting and putting away and end up having to put stuff back in the room I will have gotten it condensed and the get rid off or trash-not like ewwww trash just broken toys etc- taken care of and can finish it over the next few weeks). Right now it's so buried that nothing can really be done without emptying it first, while emptying it seems kinda crazy, it is needed. In order to focus on the room this weekend I need to do different things over the week that I typically do over the weekend (like getting caught up on dishes etc) and some prep work done (like organizing the attic a little bit more to make room for some of the toys etc I know will end up in there), getting empty boxes down from the attic for get rid of etc. I'm also going to make signs of the different categories of all the junk so I can sort quickly without really having to think about it, the initial sort needs to be quick!

So my goals are more daily goals then a big overall one:


Wednesday:

• Get all the little clutter in kitchen and living room dealt with
• Get all of the mid week cleaning down (main bathroom, floors etc)
• Do a few loads of laundry (usually do most on weekend)
• Finalize Wed night lesson (have had the bones of it done for a few weeks, just need to do the last few details)
• Go to Safeway (before church if possible)
• Try to be able to go to bed when get home from church/dropping off the siblings (have them late as my mom has a college class)
• Drink at least 3 bottles of water
• Only 2 treats (have been eating way too many sugary things- for sure the area I’m doingthe worst in is my health- physical and emotional)
• Spend at least 20 min doing devotions, praying, drawing, listening to worship music... (WITHOUT the distraction of HULU or TV etc.)
• If sunny go outside with kids and play soccer or something active with them, go on walk 

Thursday:

• Make the signs/labels for the sort
• Organize the attic and get empty boxes down (put in laundry room for out of the way easy access)
• Get all dishes done (so less to do on Friday)
• Any Friday food prep
• Same water, treats, devos and active as other days (although since not late day with kids can take Char on walk after kids leave)
• Vacuum every room really well (have to almost daily between kids, dog, and wood floors)
• Water flower beds if no real rain

Friday:

• Get all the chores done throughout the day (and have activities for kids, since it always seems that if I’m trying to be productive they will act up)
• Get all the toy bins out of living room (one change has been to keep very few in living room, but still a few there)
• Around 4 start hanging up signs/organizing areas.
• Make some snacks/easy meals for the weekend (would be tempting to order delivery since busy, bad for wallet and health!)
• As soon as kids leave haul junk out! Take a before pic! (will likely take a few hours.....)
• Sort through all the boxes of mixed junk
• Sort out any obvious get rid of/trash (good thing this was garbage week!)
• Don't stay up later than needed (so easy on Friday nights to stay up until wee hours of the morn!)
• Same water etc goals as other days 

Saturday:

• Sort, sort, purge junk, sort, sort......
• About half way through day put stuff that is ready for attic in attic (to clear space)
• Don't forget to eat and drink water (and take Advil too!) hard to keep moving if hungry/sore!
• When becoming unmotivated take a quick walk, vacuum room, put a few things away in my room.... take a short break, don't have time to waste!
• Get the big stuff put back into room! 

Sunday:

• Get up early enough to take walk before church (will be tired and a great way to wake up!)
• Get all the attic stuff into attic
• Get all the boxes put neatly into room
• Keep the inevitable boxes of papers handy to sort throughout the week)
• Sweep LR (living room) It's going to need it!
• Try to get to bed at decent hour!

So lots to do in the next few days,  lots, but doable!