Week 28 of the Weekly Organization Challenge

This is week 28 of The Good Wife's Weekly Organization Challenge! This week focused on seasonal clothing switch.

Last week I posted about our master bedroom closet.

In that post I shared how I like to have my seasonal clothes, in this case fall/winter clothes, closest to the door of my closet, so I can see them when I open the door. I have all my formal clothes first - suits and dress clothes for when I have to actually meet clients and otherwise go into the office - and casual clothes last. My spring/summer clothes are close to the wall and out of the way-ish.

Since I don't have an extensive wardrobe, I don't have to pack clothes away each season. I just move them closer to the door in the closet. However if I did have to do long term storage, there are several options you could use.

~Store clothes in clear plastic bins {we have a lot of these on hand} or in clear vinyl comforter bags. Store smaller bins and bags under the bed.

~Canvass bags with clear windows also provide for great storage and can fit under the bed.

~Hang several items of clothes on one hanger to save space. If using garment bags, place a hanging label on each bag with the contents listed. You can even get fancy and take a photo of each item.

~Keep bathing suits and towels in a beach bag and in the closet, under the bed or in the linen closet.

~Don't forget to add a cedar sachet to your clothes storage to keep sweaters odor and moth free.

Next week I will highlight shoe storage. Stay tuned!

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Week 27 of the Weekly Organization Challenge

This is week 27 of The Good Wife's Weekly Organization Challenge! This week focused on the master bedroom closet.

There is it in all it's messy glory.

We are lucky to have a walk in closet but it can get disorganized quickly. Stuff tends to find it's way in there. I really wish we had a closet system, but we don't. ::sad trombone::

I do have it organized though. His and her shit on either side. The middle bar I use for extra hangers, The Good Husband's jeans and suit jacket. The reason he gets one whole and one half side is simply b.c he has more clothes.

The top of our closet is a hot mess but the idea is to keep the things we use by only occasionally up there. For example, I have my stack of maternity clothes up there along with an electric blanket.

On his side, TGH has hunting clothes or some shit, and duffel bags. Our good luggage is in on the middle shelf. {Anyone want a vintage pound puppy or kitty for cheap? Email me}

As for how we organize clothes - I have two principles I use in this area. 1. I sort clothes by season. Right now fall/winter clothes are closest to the door, where I can see them when I open the closet. 2. I then sort by formal/casual and color. So starting from the left, closest to the door, I have my formal fall/winter clothes in order of color {black, grey, white, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red} followed by casual clothes in the same color order. My spring/summer clothes follow the same principle (formal by color and casual by color).

I do the same on TGH side. However, he likes his dress shirts and uniforms towards the center of the closet, so that's where I put them. His clothes are then arranged by short sleeve casual/formal/color and long sleeve/casual/formal/color.

And I know I just did a post about the laundry hamper, but when I was rotating my seasonal clothes {post to follow} I kept cursing the baskets and realized I was the moron that didn't put them out of the way. So, meh, there they are now. Under TGH's clothes in the closet.

Next week, we will focus on more closet organization with seasonal clothing storage, shoes and purses.

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Week 26 of the Weekly Organization Challenge

This is week 26 of The Good Wife's Weekly Organization Challenge! This week focused on the master bedroom.

Here is where the magic hasn't happened in eight months.

Our bedroom set was the first furniture The Good Husband and I picked out together. With two kids and a dog that is terrified of thunderstorms, thank god we got the king bed.

One thing about the layout of our house that I hate is the guest bathroom is at the end of the hall past all the bedrooms. So if we want the natural light to shine in the hall we have to leave the door open. And in order to leave the door open, I have to make the bed. Which is admittedly not my strongest suit.

We also have this sidecar crib for The Good Son, which makes making the bed harder too. But I shouldn't complain, since he shouldn't be in it for much longer.  

We are traditionalist when it comes to bedroom furniture. Both TGH and I each have a dresser and a nightstand. What he keeps in his, I have no idea. I probably don't want to know. What I keep in mine are books that I am trying to read as well as a humidifier I keep on my side of the bed in winter. Other than an alarm clock and a lamp, we don't keep much on our nightstands.

We have also committed the faux pas of having a tv in the bedroom. I don't see this going away any time soon.

Dresser organization is a bit lacking for me at the moment since I am in that weird stage of post pregnancy where pre-pregnancy clothes aren't fitting all that well and I am making due with some maternity clothes still.

However, both TGH and I employ the same strategy for organizing clothes. Each type of clothes have their own drawer - undershirts, undies and socks, tops, and bottoms.

I also have my jewelry box on my dresser which I will highlight in the coming weeks.

Our bedroom is by far the least used room in the house. We really don't do anything in it than sleep for 6 hours a night. That has helped to keep the stuff at the minimum. Sometimes I feel like we need something on our nightstand and then I can never think of what the hell it would be. By far this is our least cluttered room, save for the dirty laundry that finds its way on the floor.

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Week 25 of the Weekly Organization Challenge

This is week 24 of The Good Wife's Weekly Organization Challenge! This week focused on make up.

As a dirty hippy, I don't have much use for make up. I don't wear a ton of it. In fact, most days I don't wear any. I am sure working from home has a lot to do with that. I swear I used to wear more when I worked in an office. But since I never really learned how to apply it, I never did anything beyond plain eyeshadow and lip gloss.

So most of my make up is lip gloss (I told you I had an addiction) and mascara and eyeshadow.

I keep it in a basket in my drawer in the master bathroom so everything is contained.

 

If I wore more makeup I would probably use a divided drawer organizer to keep everything separate. For now I just group like items together (are you sensing a theme here?) for ease of access.

Maybe one day I will get the urge to wear makeup more consistently after watching hours of you tube videos on how to apply it, but for now, I am lucky to get some mascara on.

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Week 24 of the Weekly Organization Challenge

This is week 24 of The Good Wife's Weekly Organization Challenge! This week focused on first aid kits.

Our first aid kit is relativity small. We have the basics covered - rubbing alcohol, iodine, bandages - which we keep in the bathroom. We save the heavy duty stuff for the zombie kit (coming up in week 48).

I also have a ton of baby powder, since when you have a baby, grandmas and older aunts like to buy the shit out of it and give it to you regardless of your need for it. I mean, really, what the fuck do I do with four bottles of baby powder?!

Moving on.

I keep the first aid kit in the bathroom so I can wash wounds in the sink and not have the kiddo or husband track blood all over the house. Aside from all the useful baby powder I have in mine, there are some items that would be useful to have in a first aid kit. These include:

~Two pairs of sterile gloves
~Gauze and other dressings*
~Soap and alcohol wipes*
~Adhesive tape*
~Antibiotic ointment*
~Burn ointment*
~Adhesive bandages in a variety of sizes*
~Eye wash solution
~Thermometer*
~Hydrogen peroxide*
~Instant ice packs*
~Isopropol alcohol*
~Specialty medical supplies like those needed for high blood pressure or diabetes
~Scissors
~Tweezers*
~Tube of petroleum jelly or other lubricant*
~Zinc oxide*

*notes what I have in our kit, although the lube always makes me feel like a perv

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Friday Randoms - Why the hell I am tired all the time

When I first had The Good Daughter, everything was new and shiny and exciting. I was hanging out on a pregnancy chat board and reading mommy blogs and soaking it all in. It was pretty popular at the time to post a 'day in the life of' post about your schedule.

Since the blog was still mostly a food blog, I didn't post anything and now I have forgotten just how TGD and I made it through the days alive. So I think it would be interesting to document my typical day with both TGD and The Good Son so I can look at this later and grin uncontrollably that things have gotten better or shake with rage they have gotten worse.

So what a typical day looks like juggling a 3 year old, 2 month old, work and a house:

3:30 am - Up to nurse TGS. Catch up on some tv that will keep me awake, like the Republican National Convention or dick around on my phone

4:30 - put TGS in the co-sleeper and crawl into bed

4:36 - get kicked in the face by TGD as she performs the snow angel in the middle of our bed

6:30 - wake up to TGS grunting away like a pig looking for truffles, nurse him again

7:00 - put TGS in his swing, pump to build my freezer stash of breast milk, make coffee, unload the dishwasher, wipe down the kitchen counters

7:45/8:00 - TGD awakens. Make breakfast, let the dog out, TGD feeds the dog, let the dog in, tantrum #1, eat breakfast, clean up the dishes and the table, tantrum #2

8:30 - get everyone dressed, teeth and hair brushed, hands and faces washed, (on a bad day - tantrums #3-5)

8:45 - get our shit and get out of the house, drop the kids off with the strangers that raise them

9:00 - work, dick around on the internet, drink some coffee, pump a few times, take the dog outside, work

4:00 pm - pick the kids up from daycare, run to the grocery store or another errand

5:ish - get home, kick TGD outside to play before tantrum #6, throw a load of diapers in the wash, strap TGS into the moby, cook dinner

6:00 - eat the shit I made, tantrum #7-9, clean up the kitchen - again, switch over the wash to the dryer, throw another load in the wash, kick TGD outside again

6:something - nurse TGS again

7:15ish - switch the wash over to the dryer, take the dog for a walk, check on TGD running loose in the wild streets of suburbia

7:45 - get TGD in the tub, tantrum #10 , get her out and into jammies

8:00 - read a book to TGD and then one more book

8:14 - and then just one more fucking book

8:20 - tuck TGD into bed, hugs and kisses and goodnight

8:21 - reassure TGD there are no monsters or scary guys

8:22 - no, there are NO scary guys

8:23 - yes, i am sure

8:24 - i said no monsters, ok? the dog eats monsters

8:25 - love you, g'night

8:30 - nurse and put TGS down for the night, fold laundry, clean, pack bags and lunches for tomorrow, take the dog outside again

10:00 - watch the news

10:08 - fall asleep on the couch

11:30 - wake up to nurse again

12:15 am - crawl into bed to find TGD stealing my pillow

Are you tired, b/c I am fucking exhausted.

Week 23 of the Weekly Organization Challenge

This is week 23 of The Good Wife's Weekly Organization Challenge! This week focused on the medicine cabinet.

Currently we keep most of our medicines in the kitchen. We keep the most used - cough syrup, allergy meds, heartburn meds - in the cabinet with the drinking glasses. We keep the other meds in the kiddo cabinet.

Even though this area is grouped in with bathroom organization, you aren't supposed to store medicine in the bathroom since steam will break them down. I chose to store them in the kitchen since it is the most popular room in the house. I keep the medicines in a basket on the top shelf so no littles can get to them.

We don't tend to get sick all that much but The Good Husband seems to get hit with allergies often and one cold per winter. So we have mostly cold and allergy meds in the medicine basket. I like to group the meds together, so in this case allergy meds in the back, cold meds in the front.

If we were sick more often or had more people in the house that needed more meds, a simple way to keep them organized would be to have separate baskets for each type of meds - allergy, cold and flu, tummy issues - with labels on the front to identify them.

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Breastfeeding Mother's Survival Kit

Now that I am experiencing all the joys of caring for a newborn again, I thought would share with you all the things I found that helped me survive the first few weeks nursing a newborn.

First, claim your territory. I personally like our single chair and footstool in the living room since it provides the most support when holding The Good Baby. So I plant my ass in the chair and everyone else can go away. I like to hold my babies, so I fill the DVR with The Walking Dead episodes and settle in for 12 hours of cuddle time with the baby.

Next I have gathered several essentials for the breastfeeding new mom and kept them close in a storage box. Since my ass is planted for a good chunk of the day, I need things I will use within reach, so I don't have to put the baby down and get up or ask The Good Husband and hear him bitch.

So what do I have in the breastfeeding mother's survival kit?

1. Lanolin - ohmygawd does breastfeeding hurt like a motherfucker in the first few weeks. Having a newborn Hoover on your nipples 12 times a day can lead to cracked, sore and bleeding nipples. Remember that time Tara Reid was at a Puff Daddy party and the strap on her dress fell down to reveal a really bad boob job that looked like wolverines had been gnawing on her tit? Yeah, your nipple will look like that. Slather that bitch up with lanolin and it will help.

2. Painkillers - b/c, let's face it, lanolin just won't be enough. If you have pushed your kid out of your vag or through the wall of your abdomen, you will be in pain. And the kind folks at the hospital should give you pain meds. You might worry about taking them and how it will effect your supply but let me just say - TAKE ALL THE MEDS. Seriously. Take them as often as you can until they run out.

3. Snacks - for the next few weeks, most of your meals will consist of things you can eat with one hand. Keep some shit, like this and this on hand.

4. Fenugreek - just to make sure your milk supply is at a healthy level.

5. Vitamin D drops - this is something new to me in the three years since I had The Good Daughter. but since I don't want TGB to get rickets or scurvy or whatever, I give him the drops.

6. Mylicon - your baby will probably be more gassy than your 80 year old uncle Jack and will fart louder than him too. but since you don't want to see your baby in pain with a belly full of gas, give him some drops at each feeding.

7. Spit up rags - the same immature system that causes your baby to have farts and explosive shits that will clear a room will also force stuff out the other end. be prepared to be puked on. it will remind you of college, only this time I hope you don't ruin your favorite shirt.

8. Boob therapy - you know that lanolin you have on hand for your sore nipples, well the rest of your boob will hurt too and you will need something to soothe it. Thera Pearl 3 in 1 Breast Therapy (the purple cloth, next to my phone on the photo) is an amazing product. You can heat it up to help with pumping or you can freeze it for when you are engorged and feel like you have 15 lbs bowling balls on your chest.

9. Nipple helpers - Latch Assist is another great product if you have flat or inverted nipples. I'm sorry you now know too much about my nipples.

10. Smart Phone - nothing sucks more than being up at 3 am and falling asleep while nursing your baby. You wake up in a panic thinking you might have dropped your baby or worse. So keep your phone on hand to keep your ass awake in the wee small hours.

11. Reading Material - for when you have watched all of The Walking Dead. A few breastfeeding books I have are this one, this one and this one. My aunt gave me that Supper Nanny book. I don't know if that is a passive aggressive comment on how we have done with The Good Daughter or not.

12. Snot sucker - you know that bulb syringe they give you in the hospital? Yeah, that ain't sucking shit out. Get this. Seriously.

13. Bink - I know this is controversial for a BFing mom, but I think they are a life saver.

14. Remote - once, while on maternity leave with TGD, I couldn't find the remote and had to sit through a marathon of Rambo movies. It was a horrible experience and whenever I hear Stalone's voice I get PTSD. Don't let that happen to you.

15. Boppy pillow - since both kids were c/s babies, I nursed them in the football hold for the longest time, while my incision healed. The boppy was a huge help in getting everyone comfortable and on the boob.

16. Baby Tracker - to help you keep track of the shit. literally.

Since you are BFing a baby, it is hard to see how many ounces they are eating a day. The best gauge is "output" aka shitty and pissy diapers. You will be told to keep track of how many of each your baby is making and that will tell you if they are getting enough milk.

Now normally you would think you would be able to keep track of that on your own, or remember the last breast you used to nurse, but in the dark haze of sleep deprivation you won't. Trust me. So I have created this tracker to keep track of how often you nurse and which side, when the baby sleeps and yup, how many pissy and shitty diapers you change in a day.

This will help you start to see a pattern over time. When TGS was up every two hours for the first two weeks, I thought he was broken and - holy shit! I don't remember your sister nursing this much - but when I checked her trackers, I saw that she was nursing every hour.

If you are expecting a new baby or just had one - Congrats!! You will get to sleep again sometime. You can also download a copy of this template here.

Week 22 of the Weekly Organization Challenge

This is week 22 of The Good Wife's Weekly Organization Challenge! This week focused on the bathroom. 

In our house we currently only have two bathrooms, one guest/kids and the other the master bathroom. This post focuses on the guest/kids bathroom since it is the one most people in our house see.

 And like every other room in the house, this one isn't painted or decorated yet either.

We totally fucking suck in that department.

But it is organized and this is how:

Next to the sink, I keep a basket for washcloths and guest soaps. I am running low on the soaps right now, since we haven't stayed in a hotel and I haven't had the chance to steal any, but this thing is normally full.
 

 

I made sure the kids have a place to hang their towels so wet towels don't end up on the floor. I used the command hooks again, this time in a brushed steel color to match the hardware.

I also keep the shower curtain closed for two reasons - one, it allows the plastic liner to dry thoroughly every day after The Good Husband or kids use it; and two, it allows me to hide the baby bathtub and kids toys that live in the bathtub. Let's face it, no one is going to come over and just happen to take a shower. There is no reason for anyone to be in there without advance notice, which would give me time to get the toys out.

However, people are over on short notice that need to wash their hands, so I keep out hand towels and soap in a pump bottle since most people are turned off by the idea of using bar soap.

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