40 Days, 40 Bags: Day 1

No, I'm not going to do a post per day, but I figured I would help motivate myself with a blog post.

Day 1's task was organizing my crochet supplies.  Now, if you're not into needlecraft, you might not understand how out of control all the yarn and notions can get.  Let me tell you, it does.  Easily.  I organized my yarn and supplies about a year ago when we were prepping to move and again over the summer (one of the many things I did to pass the time while I was waiting for Elliott to arrive).

I'm lucky enough to have a lot of closet space in my apartment, and the hall closet has mainly games, crafts, and workout equipment in it.  There is also gift-wrap.  Don't even get me started on the gift wrap.  That's its own day.

Here is the before.  Please ignore the other nonsense.  That closet has three separate days devoted to its contents.

Before: Oh. My. Lord.

The 40D40B Challenge is not just about organization, at least when you go all out.  It's also an opportunity to perform some serious spring cleaning.  Therefore, the first step was to remove EVERYTHING and clean the drawers and frames.  I'm going to vacuum the closet as a whole after I'm done with the gift wrap day (Can you tell I'm dreading it?).  My trusty side-kick in this was my favorite all-purpose cleaner, Method's Multi-Surface cleaner in the oh-so-lovely cucumber scent.  Mmm.  These were so dusty because it's not something that instantly strikes a person as something to dust.  

I'm not getting paid to endorse them, but I love Method.

After that, I cut scrapbook paper in some really cute patterns to line the front of the drawers.  They are transparent or translucent, and with all of the things inside, it ends up looking so messy.  They ended up looking so good that I'm going to line all of the plastic drawers I have.  

I found all kinds of weird things to throw out (yarn wrappers, lollipops), and everything else was organized.  My tackle box, which held make-up until I finally purged the old stuff, holds all of my notions: buttons, scissors, needles, thread, hooks, measuring tape.  It keeps it organized, but it also makes it easy to put those things out of Elliott's reach.  Yarn was organized by type (acrylic v. cotton), and projects were put into Ziploc bags and organized.  I'm going to label the drawers, but I haven't figured out the best course of action.  

Here is the chaos at the peak of the project:

Just as I was at this point, Elliott woke from his nap and required a bottle.

Here's the finished product:

After: How nice.

I found a number of patterns that had gotten lost in the yarn or behind the drawers, which was like getting all new patterns.  I also re-discovered the wheels for the white drawers, making them easier to move around.

It was incredibly satisfying to actually complete one day.  I also collected my obligatory "bag": 

Bonus: I obeyed the request of my Giant bag.

Trash Bag Total: 1 Giant bag

I'll be back on Sunday to update the progress.  In the future, I'll try to limit myself to just "before" and "after" shots.

- J & M.

Look at Us!

Jason and I are featured over at Petchie's Blog Book today as her wedding of the week!  Check it out!

Thanks Petchie for featuring us!  We hope your wedding goes swimmingly.  :)

- J & M.

Preparation, preparation

I'm very strange when it comes to organization.  I'm a little right brained, which means I'm probably not going to show up on the cover of Organized Living magazine, but I like finding a place for everything and putting everything in its place.  I just have to ensure that I can do that over and over again.  For instance, I realized that putting my hair things (elastics, flowers, headbands) in the closet would look nicer, putting them under the sink (where real estate is at a premium) ensures that those things get back to where they need to be.  I put them where I use them, when possible.

As I considered my Lenten resolution, I realized that if I don't plan this out, I'll forget things and not get the most out of this experience.  I read all the posts on Clover Lane about her 40 Days 40 Bags Challenge, I looked through my Martha Stewart Housekeeping Guide (which might be bigger than the Bible) for every tip and thing I should clean, and I am now making lists.  I LOVE LISTS.

I separated my house into areas.  I didn't attempt to get to 40; I live in a 2-bedroom apartment, so there isn't that much space.  However, I'm at 30 right now.  I'm impressed.  It's not just rooms and closets.  It's dressers, organizers, and even my computer and web presence.  Did you ever think about how many email lists you're on?  I'm still on vendor lists from my wedding...which was almost 2 years ago.  Oy.

In order to hold myself even more accountable for my end goal, I'm going to do weekly posts about my progress, complete with before and after pictures.  I have lots of great inspiration to take from: Clover Lane, Design Mom, Busy Bee Lauren, The Blog of MJ, and of course, Pinterest!  The internet can be a beautiful thing.  How did our moms get by without the online mom community?  I'm trying to make this blog something bigger too, so hopefully I get a few more regular readers in the next few months.

Final note: I cannot think of a name for my future Etsy shop.  Help!?

 - M & J.

The Purge is Upon us...

As I mentioned, I had goals for each month.  In short, I did not meet my January goals.  I stayed on top of things, but I did not get ahead the way I wanted to.  Oh well.  I have a 6-month old.  It's almost a miracle that I stayed on top of things.

Now, we are halfway through February.  I have actually done some things toward this goal.  I put my new silverware in the drawer and put away the old stuff.  I'm saving it because you never know when you might need an extra fork.  My pantry is slowly getting cleaned out as well.  We're trying to use the things we have before we buy anything new (that isn't necessary...I'm talking about crackers, chips, cookies, candy...).  Again, my goal is to have my kitchen re-organized and slimmed down by the end of the month.  The fridge will get a good clean out and scrubbing soon too.  That will make a possible May move much easier.

Lent is one week away, so I'm planning and prepping for my modified 40 Days, 40 Bags challenge.  I'm not super religious, but I really like the cleansing idea of Lent.  I got the 40 Days, 40 Bags idea from Clover Lane, which is a blog about simple living and parenting.  She's got 5 kids and uses this time to get her house in order.  She purges every room.  Now, I do a little cleaning out whenever I get stressed, so some rooms may have a lot less than others.  I'm also not purging clothing in the same way I used to since I'm still in baby-body transition.  However, things will get cleaned out.  I'm also purging my yarn supply and doing a square-a-day blanket for the length of Lent.  Whatever results will be my first posting when I open up my Etsy shop in April!  It will help "stash bust" and allow me to move my craft things easier.

I'm already starting my prep for March's Movie Madness as well.  I saw "The Artist" last weekend (Amazing!) and that will start my month of movie reviews over at Spoiler Alert.

My book challenge is a little behind, but I'm in the middle of about 7 books.  I'll finish those soon and be back on track.

I won't even comment on my fitness challenge.  :/

A separate 7-month post is forthcoming, but Elliott is 7-months today!  He has a well-visit tomorrow, so full stats then.

Jason's currently waiting on the results from the first round of a short story contest he is in.  He's getting great feedback on his political satire piece (the genre was pre-chosen), so we're hoping he moves to the next round.

- J & M.

Winter Blues.

While I love having four seasons here in PA, I hate the weather and the general atmosphere between mid-January and mid-March.  It's even worse this year because we've had so little snow.  Snow days usually help boost my spirits, but alas.  It's a little too cold to take E out in the stroller, and by the time I get settled at home and he gets up from his nap, it's getting dark.  Booo.

We're also trying to "sleep train" E.  He's a pretty good sleeper who seldom needs help getting back to sleep if he wakes during the night.  If he does, it's because his teeth are bothering him.  However, for him to go to sleep, we have to rock him for sometimes up to an hour.  It was a little annoying at first, but now he's pushing 20 pounds and just is getting too heavy to hold like that.  We attempted the Ferber method last night, but Jason gave in about an hour in because E hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and figured we should start fresh.  We'll start with nighttime, then hopefully (according to my mom), naps should follow suit.  I hate hearing him cry, but he needs to learn to self-soothe.  This is a controversial topic with moms, but this is how I feel.

I read an article today about a new book called "Bringing up Bebe," which is about French parenting techniques and how Americans could probably stand to use them.  I was already planning on doing a lot of the things she suggested, such as teaching the importance of waiting, patience, and entertaining one's self.  French parents tend not to let their children rule their lives and identities, but rather teach the child to be a part of the family unit.  Now, France has a lot of laws that also help families out, such as quality free schooling from pre-school on and quality free health care.  This allows families to spend more time together, since 2 incomes aren't necessary to get by.  It's an interesting thought.

Elliott has his 6 month check up next week (the day after he turns 7 months...the whole schedule is off).  I hope the doctor feels that we are doing as well as we think we are!

- J & M etc.

6 Months!

Elliott is 6 months old today!

It was about one year ago that we announced here on the blog that we were having our little peanut, and here he is now, almost 18 pounds (according to our Wii Fit).  Because his last well visit was later, he won't go in for another until he's almost 7 months.  He may go in soon for a quick flu shot though.

We're having a really fun holiday weekend.  I've been crocheting up a storm (post to come) and we've been doing things we enjoy.  Last night, I went out for my friend Em's birthday to a restaurant called Frankford Hall.  It's a beer hall, and it has outdoor seating, fire-pits for smore's, and ping-pong tables.  They also had heat lamps, so sitting outside wasn't so cold.  Tonight we're having a game night with friends, and on Monday, I'm going to Quizzo for the first time in months.  I like to take advantage of Monday nights that Jason doesn't work.  He has a 4-day weekend because of his new schedule, so I'm sure he'll enjoy that.  Tuesdays will be so nice this semester.  In the fall, he had class on Tuesday, so he went into work 3 hours early and came home at the normal time.  He was gone for 12 hours, so I was on my own with Elliott for 12 hours.  Now, I teach my seminar on Tuesdays, so he switched his Fridays off for Tuesdays.  When I come home from class (which I don't go in until noon to teach), he'll be home and we can have a normal night together.  :)

I promise; I will have a craft post at some point this weekend.  I finished 5 projects in the last month, 2 of them being large items.  I also have a number of things on commission to finish.  It's a good thing I love to crochet.

- J, M, E, & B.

March for Babies...in April!

Last year, while I was enjoying a complication free, blessing of a pregnancy, my friend Liz's sister was going through the opposite.  Liz was one of Jason and I's roommates in the Sansom house, and it was so difficult to watch Liz and her family deal with her nephew's ups and downs.  Liz was always so wonderful during my pregnancy, willing to listen to my aches and pains and complaints and worries.  After Jason, she was the next to know that we were pregnant.  She was the one who first suggested that I might be expecting...it's like she has baby radar.

Fast forward to this summer.  Her nephew was born via emergency c-section about a month after Elliott was born.  He had a number of health problems and was stronger than anyone anticipated.  However, it was all eventually too much for him and he passed away in October.

Any woman who is expecting, no matter how well she takes care of herself, worries about the possibility of complications.  When those complications arise, the March of Dimes is there, doing research and helping families with premature little ones.  The March of Dimes original mission was actually funding polio research.  Polio is now near-extinct, so they have moved on to the health of babies.  When Elliott spent his few days in the ICN, we saw first hand how these littlest of the little ones are taken care of.  Advancements have been made to help those babies who need a little extra help when they come into the world.

In April, Jason, Elliott, and I will be walking with Liz in memory of her nephew, Dylan.  Well, Elliott will probably be riding in his stroller or wrapped in the Moby, let's be honest.  I am usually apprehensive to ask others to donate money to things, but this is a cause we feel very strongly about.  If you can, consider clicking on my March for Babies badge and donating.  Even $5 helps!  I'm already 1/3 of the way to my initial goal, which I would love to increase and help more babies.  I'm also excited to participate in the walk with my family.  It'll be a great day out on the Parkway (Ben Franklin), and it will be fun to spend the morning with Liz and our other friends who are walking.

Thanks in advance!  If you can't donate (which I totally understand), keep our endeavors in your thoughts and prayers.  We walk for babies on April 29th!

- J & M & E & B.