Ginger, Sounds like you are doing a great job--15-16 garbage bags--in addition to taking care of the children.

I have areas of brilliance, then I have spots that would require me to poke your eyes out if you saw them and I don't have children at home!

The areas that you stated needing attention are some of the most challenging. I think that they are projects that require focused attention like you would if you were painting a room.

I'm just rambling here, but I know that you know the right things to do for you. I have always felt that your kids come first with you so how bad is that as a trade off to a little discombobulation (is that a word)?

Hi Ginger, I've been a lapsed organizer myself for quite awhile.

I sort of slunk off the forum because my summer turned out to be a spectacular non-organizing event. I had Big Plans and all for naught. I had thought I was going to do the second bathroom which would have been stressful but would have had the domino affect of making me do serious clean ups in several other areas of the house. And then once I did a budget calculation I realized with another year of heavy school expenses for the kids (though it's the last year thank heavens!) it would be pushing us financially too close to comfort to spend all that money on the bathroom this year. And THAT in turn meant my get up and go, got up and went :(. At least as far as organizing the house.

I did get some stuff accomplished at work, but I really count on the summer months for projects at home so I admit I've been ashamed of myself for dropping so many balls on that front. I did not: muck out the kids' rooms, muck out my own room, muck out the kitchen, reorganize all our files, deep clean and organize the office, work on the yard...sigh.

Anyway I'm baaaaaccckkk. I really need a periodic Talley Sue fix I suppose :). TS, you still here??

Ann

I'm here! My summer has been sporadic in terms of organizing, too. I did that "slink off the forum" bit last summer, bcs I just wasn't doing anything.

Mustangs, you're just like me!
I have areas of brilliance, then I have spots that would require me to poke your eyes out if you saw them

I have some spots I'm SO proud of, but they're getting older by the minute.

And I've got junk just everywhere. This last week, it was particularly awful.
-I brought home the Sunday School stuff, and IT was in the LR;
-the kids had toys (and packaging from toys, which they're supposed to throw away but didn't) in the LR (and DH doesn't get on them to pick up earlier in the day, and by the time I get home, there's not much time left before bed, and I'm a wimp too)
-there are paint cans in a stack in the archway bcs we're painting
-the mirror, etc., are leaning in the corner of the LR bcs we're painting
-there are boxes and plastic bins around bcs we weeded out all the summer/fall/winter clothes.

I'm slowly digging out, but of course the kids started school this last week, so I've been buying & labeling school supplies; covering textbooks; purchasing altering & labeling clothing; signing form after form. Just school prep is overwhelming this week.

And next weekend, hopefully my 2nd favorite cousin will come for a visit, and sleep on the sofa bed, so I *have* to be ready for company!

OK Ginger, here are some thoughts.

Things we had used were not put up neatly or not put in place. So I have had to take everything out, refold, reput it in place, etc. and now it looks neat.

Maybe it's too HARD to put back in place? OK, the one towel that got mussed that you were too lazy to refold, that's one thing (though, are they folded and stacked in a way that makes it easy to just take the top one out without stirring them all ? roll them instead?)? Is there a small change in shelving, bin, folding, stacking, that would make it much easier to put stuff in the right way/spot? And less easy to tip it over (that's the stuff that I end up leaving in a mess)

And here's the challenge: If you'll pick one shelf, or one side or your closet, or some other small thing, to tidy up, I'll do ALL the school-related mending tonight, plus fold the clothes.

Are you on?

Excellent thoughts and ideas above -- and yes! re-look and re-think your storage areas -- and routines ......

Maybe (as wisely suggested above) you need to add bins (label them) or baskets (to stack stuff like towels)

We use a line of six double hooks in both of the bathrooms here to hold towels -- after I finally came to the conclusion that DH would NEVER fold towels neatly over a towel bar. Might work for your place too!

As for smaller items -- I find that small boxes and bins will keep items together and not wandering .....

But a big WELL DONE for taking 15-16 garage bags to Goodwill!!! Woo-hoo!!!!!! :) Outstanding!

well, I blew it, Ginger--I had so much "homework"--books to cover, forms to fill out, that by the time I finished, it was bedtime.

By Sunday evening? What are you going to pick? My goal is "all school clothes organizing--mending, labeling, altering"

Are you on?

(and hooray for the bags off to Goodwill!)