Keeping the Castle » organized home http://www.blisstree.com/keepingthecastle Housekeeping Tips and Homemaking Advice Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:00:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Decluttering Challenge: Days 5-13 http://www.blisstree.com/keepingthecastle/decluttering-challenge-days-5-13/ http://www.blisstree.com/keepingthecastle/decluttering-challenge-days-5-13/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 02:58:34 +0000 Maricar http://www.keepingthecastle.com/decluttering-challenge-days-5-13/ Post from: Keeping the Castle

]]> This decluttering challenge is not as easy as I thought it would be. It only requires one item per day. But it also means that there are days when I don’t actively think of finding that one item that I can either get rid of or take action on. The good thing is that this challenge is really forcing me to do it.

Here’s how I did over the past days:

Day 5 – Two really dirty old rags thrown away for good

Day 6 – Threw away a bag of potpourri that is past its fragrant stage

Day 7 – Threw away three promotional refrigerator magnets from different stores

Day 8 – A bag of clothes taken to the dry cleaners

Day 9 – Given away 2 skirts I’ve overgrown

Day 10 – Threw away pieces of a broken Slinky toy

Day 11 – 1 more shirt for the Morsbag pile

Day 12 – Freecycled a broken bicycle

Day 13 (today) – Five sample cans of baby formula, donated to a mother-baby charity group

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]]> http://www.blisstree.com/keepingthecastle/decluttering-challenge-days-5-13/feed/ 0 Decluttering Reminders from Menus4Moms http://www.blisstree.com/keepingthecastle/decluttering-reminders-from-menus4moms/ http://www.blisstree.com/keepingthecastle/decluttering-reminders-from-menus4moms/#comments Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:47:09 +0000 Maricar http://www.keepingthecastle.com/decluttering-reminders-from-menus4moms/ Post from: Keeping the Castle

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One of the challenges of decluttering is knowing where to start. Often, the task is so overwhelming that it’s easier to just throw up one’s hands and give up, before even starting.

I have learned that it doesn’t really matter where I start decluttering. The important thing is that I do, one small task or area at a time. I’ve subscribed to the daily reminders from Menus4Moms. The name of the website is a little misleading. They offer help in putting together weekly menus and meal ideas, but the site is not limited to that. One of their most helpful features is the daily organizing reminder that is sent by email. The daily emails have two parts:

* a reminder to do your daily routine

* a designated task for the day

These two activities, the daily routine and the daily task, are the essential tools to use for keeping the home. The daily routine may include items like 5 minutes of decluttering, dealing with one load of laundry, loading and emptying the dishwasher, and routines for personal care. Each person may have a different daily routine.

The day’s task is designed to help clean and/or organize the entire house over a cycle of 5 weeks, one week for a different area of the house. The priority is always to declutter before cleaning. For example, tomorrow, Monday, the area is the Kitchen and Porches, and the daily task is to clean the stove fan for 15 minutes only. If the kitchen or porch has clutter, those 15 minutes should be spent taking care of that clutter instead.

To receive these reminders, you’ll need to subscribe here. Even if you already have a schedule for cleaning and organizing your home, you may still find something helpful from the reminders and articles at Menus4Moms.

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