Organizing update

NEW BOOK: I started reading "Confessions of an Organized Housewife" today. It's good so far and has lots of helpful hints. I'll update more once I get past chapter two.

NEW BLOG: Something I found tonight, which got me "sucked in" like many internet sites, was a blog called the Nesting Place. I love her "window mistreatments", and am totally wanting to run out to the fabric store...well, more like to the $1 fabric section at Wal-Mart! I thought I had no hope at making window treatments or throw pillows until I got a sewing machine and learned how to use it, but now I have new inspiration! Fabric, a glue gun, upholstery tacks, and some fringe...and I'll be having fun!

NEW SHOES: One lesson I've learned over the past few years is that (usually, especially with new items) you get what you pay for. Sometimes spending more initially helps you save more in the long run. Take our sofas for example. Several years back we couldn't imagine spending hundreds on furniture. But now I'm so glad we waited to get this leather set! It should save us money and headache! So back to the shoes. Almost every time I buy cheap shoes I regret it. So tonight I went out to buy some Stride Rite sandals for the girls. I'm hoping they'll last all summer...we'll see! But I decided to check out Payless first and what did Mary Clare want to try on? First a pair of tennis shoes with Bratz dolls on them, a pair of fancy flip flops with heels, then these that I snapped a picture of:


Haha! Glad I am still choosing her clothes and shoes or else she would look like a 21 year-old! Here's what we bought instead:


SCHEDULE: I've been doing so bad the past few days! It's 2:06 am and I'm still awake! What am I doing? I'm really going to try to get back on track this week and STAY OFF THE INTERNET. I'm going to limit myself for Holy Week. Not sure exactly how, but maybe I'll just turn off the computer. If you don't see me this week, give me a big congratulations for Easter. I'm not sure I can do it though. This is my recreation. Maybe I'll stay away from forums and other blogs and just check email and my own blog. I'll have to pray about this more...

CLEANING: The house has been staying somewhat clean. And Mary Clare has been really good at helping me out, especially with the playroom and schoolroom, which get the messiest. Tonight I had a revelation. Certain parts of the kitchen really gross me out. The baseboards are one of them. I look at them thinking, "there's no way I can ever get the grime off of those. No use trying." But I need to take BABY STEPS. I cleaned one wall of baseboards tonight with a rag and toothbrush. The flooring leaves a space at the bottom, and in other places the baseboards are coming off, but I can still at least TRY to clean them!

before:


after:


AND LASTLY, DIAPERS! I've been trying to get back into the swing of cloth diapering but haven't had much motivation. But then came the issues with the nighttime leaks, and then my sweet friend Megan loaned me some covers. That has really helped. Something about the velcro covers as opposed to the pull-on pants really makes a difference for me. Maybe it's just the newness factor. But anyway, today I found a great internet deal and bit the bullet and ordered some Proraps covers! And I've even left the house several times with him in cloth. I'm not sure I even did that with Ellie. Yay me! (trying to keep up the motivation here!)

Okay, I've GOT to go to bed. We're trying to make 9:00am Palm Sunday Mass! That's in 6 1/2 hours! Nite Nite.