4 Weeks To A More Organized Home: Day 13

I knew that today was going to be a busy one, but I was curious to see what the Day 13 Assignment would be this morning.  When I saw the list, I was happy because I knew that I needed to do these things.  I just wasn't sure when I was going to have time today.

Here is what the list looked like:

--Get dressed in something that makes you feel great.
---Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.
--Complete your morning routine.
--Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick-clean of your bathroom.
--Clean the top of your kitchen cupboards (if there is space between them and the ceiling) and the top of your refrigerator. If you have clutter on the top of your refrigerator, go through it and see if you can get rid of it or find a new home for it. Wipe down the outside of your kitchen cupboard doors.
--Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

Here's what my day looked like:

--Have trouble falling asleep last night.

--Up at 4:30 to begin grocery posts  (no paper outside)

--Paper finally comes at 5

--Type a few posts

--Toddler wakes up at 6 (highly unusual)

--Kindergartner wakes up at 6:30

--Feed them breakfast/get them dressed

--Bus at 7:30

--Husband calls at 8:30..he forgot his clothes for his second job, can I bring them

--9-bring clothes

--9:30 stop by hospital to visit my MIL

--11:15  leave, grab Wendy's

--Noonish   Eat lunch

--12:30 put toddler down for nap, attempt my own to no avail

--1:30--work on homework assignment for a market research session I have tomorrow

--2:30--wake up toddler, go get the other one

--3:30--back at hospital, making kid do homework while we visit

--5:00--leave

--5:30 get home, grab random item out of the freezer for dinner.  Fight with kid to finish homework while it thaws.

--6:30 eat

--7:15 finish homework assignment while girls get ready for bed

--8:00 realize girls room is trashed and they still arent ready for bed.  Ok maybe they brushed their teeth.

--8:20 finally get girls to bed

--8:30 finish laundry I left in floor last night and quickly tidy up living room and dining room  (it's an in-home interview...)

--8:45  Eye the top of the refrigerator wearily.   Decide to go for it.  

Yikes!

I think when you have children, high places become a place to drop things you don't want them to have.  Thus, we have paints and bubbles, glue, etc!

I took everything off and the top was really gross.  I thought it was going to require some scrubbing, but I sprayed some cleaner and it wiped right up.

Then I began the task of determining a home for things.  I made a "where does this go? and please put it there" pile for my husband, and he quickly took care of it.  I wiped the dust off the pumpkins and will put them into the seasonal closet alongside the easter baskets.  And, I found a whole bunch of trash!

Dried up paints galore, empty glue bottles, empty bubble bottles, empty wipe containers, random rubber gloves (???) and empty paper towel roll wrappers.   All things that do not need to be in my house, and no longer are.  Ok well, technically they are sitting in a trash bag tied up by the front door waiting to be taken out in the morning.

Then came the task of deciding what actually needed to be on the fridge.  I decided that lunch boxes did, refrigerator magnets (in the wicker basket), fish tank cleaning supplies, a change jar, and a few art supplies.

Here's what is up there now:

I don't think I will ever have nothing up there, but it's looking much better now.  That was a much needed task to accomplish and it honestly only took me about 20 minutes from start to finish.  (I've spend longer typing about it!)

I did not touch my bathrooms today, nor did I climb to the top of my cupboards or wipe down my cabinet doors (though I just did that on Monday).  

I just had one of those never ending days today where I simply could not fit everything in.   I really seriously thought about not tackling the top of the fridge, but I knew from all my experience during this challenge that it would not take nearly as long as I imagined it would and that I would feel soooo much better about my house once it was done.   And I do!