Week 2: The Mommy's New Clothes...

I tackled our closet today.  It doesn't seem like a big job, but if you look below you will see what a disaster it was.  I even found a few clothes that had been missing for a couple months.  

Most of the clothes and shoes in our closet belong to my husband, who has an unreasonable amount of clothing for a man.  I went through and got rid of some things he never wears, along with my left over maternity clothes and ended up with 4 bags of clothes to get rid of.

Before:

I had a mommie dearest moment here and started cursing the wire coat hangers.  They come on Mike's dry cleaning and he forbids me from taking the shirts off and putting them on plastic hangers.  He says they keep the shoulders neater.  It is annoying when they are all tangled up with the other hangers.

My vanity...

Is that hamper?  What is it for?

After:

I sent the suitcases to the basement and brought in the extra dressers that used to be in the girls' room.  Now I have a dresser for H's things and one for my purses and such.

Now we just have to figure out how to use a hamper.  It doesn't seem like a hard thing, but no one in my family seems to know how to use one.  The dirty clothes all end up on the bedroom floor.  

Week 2 - Progress Report

Pounds lost: 2.2 pounds (total of 7 pounds)  

Rooms cleaned/organized:

                cleaned my car

                sorted through books for church

                Sorted through bags of accumulated stuff!

              

Exercise:  4 out of 7 days

               120 minutes total on the elliptical

I feel pretty good about the week.  I wish I had gotten more cleaning done, but the holiday got in the way.  I am happy that I was able to lose a couple of pounds despite a huge Thanksgiving dinner!  I am trying to watch what I eat, but not restrict myself, because I know that is the only way I can stick to it.  

We had big plans to clean up the playroom and put up the Christmas decorations this weekend, but my dad had a medical emergency that got in the way.  After dropping my parents at the airport on Saturday, my dad suddenly went blind in one eye.  I turned around and picked them up, to take my dad to the ER.  It turns out he had a retinal tear and hemorrhaging, which they were able to do emergency laser surgery on today.  D was amazing and set with me in the emergency room waiting room for 3+ hours.  I am so thankful for wonderful friends (Andrea and family) and my mother-in-law and brother-in-law who were able to babysit M and H, so Mike could join me at the hospital.

Goals for next week:

- exercise at least 4 days

- continue to eat healthier, cut snacking, and eat smaller portions

- try to maintain the cleanliness of the rooms I have already organized

- tackle the playroom, my closet, Christmas decorations

Week 1: A NEW Garage!

edit:  I just went through and read this and it is a bit cheesy and annoyingly upbeat.  I apologize in advance.

Well, technically not new, but in the nearly 3 years we have lived here, I have NEVER been able to park in the garage before today.  I decided it was time to clear the clutter, so I would be able to park inside when it gets cold.  I worked my butt off!  Check out the before and after pics below.  I am so thankful that H and M took a 3+ hour nap, allowing me some uninterrupted work time (and thanks to D who finished my crossword puzzle while I was cleaning, even though the letters make no sense).  

I didn't get around to the elliptical today.  We spent the morning looking at tile for our new shower tile (can't wait to have the master done!)  and this afternoon on the garage.  I don't feel bad, as I lifted and carried furniture, bags of mulch, boxes, etc.  My calves tell me I got enough of a work out.

I feel great about being productive and love clean space.  I just want to stand in the garage and stare at the non-clutter.  I might need some help!  I am also exhausted and could have gone to sleep when the kids did, but got side tracked on sorting through Christmas stuff.

Before (I forgot to take a picture right away, so imagine all the stuff from the driveway in the garage):

After:

Week 1: Plastic tub jungle and something more important

I had big plans to get lots of stuff done today, since it was a stay home day.  I was laying on the couch this morning trying to get enough energy to start working and M came to join me.  I hugged her and said "I need to get up."  She looked at me with her big brown eyes and said "You need to NOT get up,"  and then cuddled up next to me.  The work waited.  

Some things are just more important than organizing.  :)

But I did manage to get a project done that has been nagging me.  I had trash bags and trash bags full of outgrown and out of season clothing and shoes sitting in the basement, waiting to be sorted.  I got up the nerve to carry them all up and have a sorting party.  The girls made signs and carried clothes to piles while I sorted. I even found an entire winter wardrobe for M that D had outgrown.

The results 7 tubs, 1 box, 5 trash bags of stuff to sell, a tub to play in, and one giant laundry pile!  Now I need a big strapping man to help me carry all the tubs back downstairs!