Blitz It Friday

This is a great week for me to link up to Blitz It Friday at Organized Everyday because I actually cleaned! Shocking, I know.

Yesterday, L had an upper endoscopy at Children's Hospital. This was all scheduled at the last minute (about 10 days' notice) yet we managed to get my parents to come out here from Chicago. T isn't allowed in the hospital, so it really helped to have my parents here to watch her so both mommy and daddy could be with L.

All of this to say that Wednesday morning I needed to do a serious blitz to get ready for their arrival that afternoon. Nothing like expecting guests to get me off my butt. For two hours (not including a few quick breaks), I got busy. Here's what I accomplished:

-started laundry

-cleaned guest bathroom

-changed laundry

-loaded and ran dishwasher

-cleaned the gunk between the kitchen sink and backsplash (yuck!)

-cleaned the downstairs half-bath

-tidied the living room floor

Thankfully the two bathrooms were in pretty good shape before I started. I'd cleaned the upstairs toilet and the downstairs bath a week ago.

There you have it, my longest blitz to date. For more cleaning bonanzas, go here.

By the way, the endoscopy went fine, we won't know the results of the biospies and bloodwork for another week but visually the esophagus looked good. And L was a super-trooper, so resilient, today he's literally jumping off the furniture. (For background on the endoscopy, you can read here.) Thanks for visiting!

Blitz-It Friday

Here's what I accomplished in 45 minutes yesterday:

-emptied the dishwasher

-loaded and started the dishwasher

-409'd the counter

-folded and put away the towels that were in the dryer

-moved clothes from washer to dryer

-swept under T's highchair

-washed L's plate and T's highchair tray and the pan we used at breakfast

-sorted the paper pile on the kitchen table and put stuff where it belonged

-409'd the table


Later, over the course of the afternoon and evening, in spits and spurts, I was able to get all the photos out of my camera (140+ pictures from the last month or so), onto my computer, deleted the red eye, and uploaded to the internet. I still need to make a slideshow for friends and relatives, but I'm getting closer to checking that off my list (and moving on to taking Christmas photos, and making photo calendar gifts, and so on!).

For more blitzing and organizing, head to Organized Everyday. Thanks for stopping by!

Blitz-It Friday

I did one of my typical housework blitzes today. In 20 minutes, I:

-started the laundry
-emptied the dishwasher and put away clean pots/pans
-loaded the dishwasher
-washed pots and pans
-409'd the kitchen counter

Now to blitz this 3-day (woohoo!) weekend:

-The theme is family time and relaxation. But...
-I am inspired by upcoming houseguests (my parents coming on the 12th), to try to get some things done.
-Tasks: my hubby wants to buy and hang curtains in the kids' rooms; I want to hang photos and art in various places; and hang the "Cars" shelves in the living room. Any progress on these projects would be awesome.
-Food: honestly I've drawn a blank, we're in such a rut. Tonight (Friday) was teriyaki chicken on the grill. Tomorrow will probably be fish/pizza night (hubby makes himself some fish, I make a frozen pizza for myself). Sunday and Labor Day remain a mystery. How does one celebrate Labor Day?!
-Treats: another mystery. Maybe the library, I need something new to read. Maybe rent a movie.

For more blitzes, head to Organized Everyday. This weekend she's having a giveaway, so don't miss out! Thanks for stopping by!

Blitz It Friday

I had a really great blitz today I feel like sharing. It has been a super-busy week of running around, so it was nice to just be domestic today and get stuff done. I initially set my timer for 30 minutes, but in the end I worked an hour. Yea! Here's what I did:

-started laundry
-changed into comfy clothes
-prayer time (I know it's pathetic that I have to put this on my chore list, otherwise I don't do it)
-put clean dishes away
-changed a poopy diaper
-loaded dishwasher
-scrubbed pots and pans
-browned ground beef
-folded towels out of the dryer and put them away
-moved laundry from washer to dryer

As long as I'm here, I'll do a quick rundown on our weekend plans. The theme, as always, is family time and relaxation. I scheduled L a haircut for Sunday morning. We might go to Chuck E. Cheese tomorrow (we're in Phoenix so it's too hot for the park; the mouse house is an inexpensive indoor stand-in). I really need to clean the upstairs bathroom and I'd love to inventory L's clothes. For my "me" time, I'll probably hit Walmart on Sunday for 15-cent notebooks (one can never have too many notebooks!). And we rented a movie. For food: enchiladas friday night, leftovers Saturday, and either pork tenderloin or steak on Sunday (I better get something defrosting).

For more blitzing, go to Organized Everyday.

Blitz It Friday

I have two housework blitzes to report this week. First, on Friday (7/10), I did a 30 minute blitz. I set the timer for 25 minutes and accomplished the following:
-load and start the dishwasher
-409 the countertop
-scrub pots and pans
-fold and put away towels (the timer rang during the folding, I continued 5 more minutes till done)

On Monday, I set the timer for 30 minutes: started dinner (put chicken on to boil), loaded the dishwasher, and started organizing a dumping-ground area of my kitchen counter. I wasn't able to complete that project during this blitz, but I came back to it later and finished. To see more on that "tackle," see this post.

Sadly, I didn't work on my official project this week. However, that was because I've been working on a different task this week: packing up three boxes of hand-me-downs to send to friends/family. That too remains a work-in-progress, but the girl box is nearly ready to ship!

As of this writing, I can't see a Linky thing on Organized Everyday. I don't know if it's my technical difficulty or hers. Anyway, I wanted to report my progress. I'll keep checking and hopefully link up soon. Thanks!

Blitz It Friday--Big Project cont...

Okay, after three weeks of not accomplishing my project goals, I realized the problem: I was putting it off till later in the week and then life happens and nothing gets done. So this week, I aimed to work on the project early in the week, to make sure it got done. I put it on the to-do-list for Monday, it didn't get done. I put it on the to-do-list for Tuesday, there wasn't an opportunity. I put it on the to-do-list for Wednesday and I succeeded! I set the timer for 30 minutes, dragged all my stuff to the living room, and filed. Here's a DURING photo (notice T's legs in the exersaucer, she was my "companion" during the blitz):
I was worried about starting up where I left off, but it was satisfying to come across things and think, I have a file for that! Here are my AFTER photos. See how little is left in the basket?! (Keep in mind though, I have another basket to sort, plus another box and basket to file.)

And here's what the box of files looks like now:

Once again, this coming week's goal is 30 more minutes of filing and sorting.

I had an unconventional blitz yesterday that I also wanted to share. It wasn't officially a blitz because I didn't set a timer, I briefly checked email, and I was constantly checking on T, but in 45 minutes I made brownies (from a mix), browned ground beef, and assembled enchiladas for dinner. By my standards, that was a lot of cooking time in a row. Of course the payoff was a delicious dinner and dessert. :-)

For more blitzing, check out Organized Everyday. Thanks!

Blitz It Friday

Well, I thought I wouldn't be posting this week (again) because I didn't manage to work on my project this week (again). In my defense, I got everything assembled in the living room on Wednesday around 5pm, but then T woke up and hubby came home. So no "big project edition" today.

I did however do an awesome (by my standards) blitz this morning. One hour and I cleared a cluttered corner in my master bedroom. Yea! First, I put things that had a place back where they belonged, like games into the closet. Then the piles of CDs went into the rack (tedious). That cleared space for me to move the plastic storage drawer thing against the wall to multitask as a nightstand. Moved books, clothes, trash, recycling etc. till I found a path to the bed and a place to sleep. Woohoo! In the final minutes, I folded the towels from the dryer and moved clothes from washer to dryer.

For more blitzing, head to Organized Everyday. Thanks!

Blitz It Friday--Big Project Part 3

It was a busy week around here, some extra appointments and very few overlapping naps. Therefore, I'm sad to report I did not work on my big project. I did manage a 15 minute blitz yesterday to pick up toys in my living room. And for your viewing pleasure I have "before" photos:{Ugh, I have no end of frustration trying to get my photos on here and where I want them, I give up!} Anyway, the second picture is my foyer table. You can see the three baskets, on the left is yet to be sorted, the middle is for recycling and the basket on the right is the "to file" pile that I'm supposed to be working on. You can see the closeup of that basket in the top picture. The pile of junk on the far left of the picture also needs to be sorted. So now you can see what I'm working with and why it feels like I'm emptying the ocean with a spoon. ;-)

My goal for the coming week, again, is to spend at least 30 minutes filing the papers in the "to file" basket. Thanks for hanging with me even though I'm always a day late and a dollar short! For more blitzing, go to Organized Everyday.

Blitz It Friday--Big Project Part 2

Once again I'm late to the party. It took me till Saturday just to do my blitz then another two days to write about it. In the words of my cousin, a new mom, "Motherhood is busy." Here's what I accomplished last week.

Big Project
So my project is my foyer table and my goal was to spend 30 minutes going through the paper crap. Saturday, I gathered the "to file" basket, my new manila folders, and a stapler and sprawled out on the living room floor while the kids slept and hubby worked. Because my filing cabinet is a project in and of itself, I just made new folders for all the different topics as they came up. I went about 15 minutes past the timer for a 45 minute blitz. It felt like I was trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon. I'm so aggravated that my house is a disaster area and I have no time to deal with it.

This is a busy week ahead, but I will try to do another 30 minute blitz. Also, I'll try to upload my "before" picture.

Weekly Blitz
Sunday morning I blitzed my kitchen table for 25 minutes. And I didn't even finish, that's how messy it was! I need a new system, everything gets dumped there. I managed to get through all but two pieces of mail, made a much smaller paper pile, and wiped down the surface.

For more blitzes, check out Organized Everyday.

Blitz It Friday--Big Project Part 1

Weekly Blitz
This week my only blitz was on Monday. I set the timer for 30 minutes and did the following:
-changed the laundry
-cleaned the downstairs (half) bathroom (toilet, sink, mirror)
-scrubbed pots and pans
Very productive and no interruptions. Shocking ;-)

Big Project
Okay, so we're supposed to name a big project to work on this summer. Well my house is brimming with projects. It took having a second child to kick me in the pants and make me want to get organized. I've named 2009 my Year to Get Organized, but with so little "free" time, I'm not likely to finish by Dec. 31. It's June 5th already--eek! But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step (that's a quote, but I can't remember who said it, sorry). So for my summer blitz project, I choose my foyer table (or, more specifically, the top shelf of my foyer table).

Identify the Problem:
Historically it's been a dumping ground, lots of mail to be filed or shredded. I've made my first step toward organizing by putting out three matching baskets. Eventually they will be: one to file, one to recycle, one to shred (we're quite anal about not throwing out mail that could aid identity theft, but that creates a huge pile of crap waiting to be shredded). Right now one box is to file and one is to recycle, but the 3rd basket is full of stuff to sort. So in order to complete this project, I need to finish sorting the sort pile (that will leave the basket free to become the shred pile), and file the file pile. I also bought some $1 cardboard magazine files so that once the space is cleared I can set those up and stand up my various binders and folders. My goal is that between the baskets and magazine files that my foyer table will become an organized area of my home for sorting mail and finding the things I need.

Plan for the Week:
Between two kids and my struggles with time-management, my goal will have to be modest. I will try to do a 30-minute blitz of this area this week. The "to file" basket is pretty full, that's probably where I should start.

Start and End Dates:
I'll start this week (June 5) and give myself the whole summer. How about August 31 for a potential end date? I'd love to finish sooner and move on to another area, but let's be realistic.

Before Picture:
I'll try to post a picture next week.

For more blitzing, check out Organized Everyday. Thanks!

Blitz It Friday

I know, I know, it's Saturday not Friday. Sorry it took me an extra day to post about this week's blitz! Once again, I was interrupted throughout the blitz but I persevered. In roughly 30 minutes, I:

-emptied the dryer
-folded towels and put them away
-moved sheets from washer to dryer and started it up
-loaded and started the dishwasher
-409'd the kitchen counter

I think there was more but I can't remember. That was Thursday. Today I set the timer for 30 minutes to tackle a project loooong procrastinated--setting up the Quicken software we bought over a year ago. It took more like 45 minutes but I entered all the info. Great, except now I have no idea how to use the thing. I think it was a big ole waste of money. Maybe hubby can make sense of it. Anyway, got that project off my list.

To see more blitzes, go to Organized Everyday.

Blitz It Friday

Yesterday, I set the timer for 30 minutes. I gathered up a load of dark clothes for the laundry and started the washer. I cleared the drying rack to make room for the new batch of clothes. Then I hand-washed an underwire bra. At that point the phone rang and it was my BFF I never get to talk to so I cut the blitz short and answered the call. So it was only a 20 minute blitz.

Today I set the timer for 30 minutes and went to work on a very messy corner of our master bedroom that is currently holding bags and piles of L's outgrown clothes. I was able to sort several bags of clothes into boxes by size and threw out some stained clothes and made a small pile for donation. I wish I could've kept going all day, but I had kids to get back to. Still, it was a great start!

To see what others are blitzing, check out Organized Everyday. Thanks for visiting!

Blitz It Friday

I had another busy week, that's two weeks in a row of a bunch of extra stressors, but we are done, finished, finito--yea! After preschool yesterday, I was done for the week. But housework waits for no man, so before I could rest, I convinced myself to do a quick blitz. I set the timer for 20 minutes and here's what I accomplished:

-loaded and started dishwasher
-went through annoying pile on the bathtub that's been staring at me since January
-cleared foyer of the mess from last week's trips to the pool
-threw away a dust bunny
-organized the bottled water and Coke cans in the kitchen that were jutting out and waiting to be tripped over
-moved last week's party trays from a bag in the bedroom (what were they doing there? just dumped with the rest of the clutter) into the sink

The timer rang and I 409'd the kitchen counter--the end. It was nice to conquer some of the messes that I pass by every day and say "I've gotta do something about that" but never do.

With preschool over for the summer, my weeks should be ever so slightly less chaotic, so stay tuned to see if I find more time to blitz. For more, head over to Organized Everyday. Thanks for stopping by!

Blitz It Friday

I don't know about you, but for me, there's no better motivation to clean than expecting a guest. Well, last weekend my sister was in town and the house had to be moderately clean by Sunday afternoon. Thankfully, Hubby did most of the heavy duty kitchen cleaning, so that room was looking pretty good. Here's how I did the rest....

Saturday, I did a 15 minute blitz of the upstairs bathroom. I was able to accomplish the tub and toilet. When the timer rang, I considered persevering through to the end, but T had other ideas--she woke up from her nap, probably from the noise of me cleaning. Ugh!

Sunday, I did a 10 minute blitz of the half bath downstairs. That was all the time it needed to be sparkling and inviting. ;-)

Later, when there was approximately 20 minutes before Hubby and Sis got home from the airport, I set the timer for 20 and blitzed again. I loaded and started the dishwasher, then ran upstairs to finish that bathroom--counter, sink and mirror. Those chores filled the 20 minutes but I kept cleaning, wiping down some more counterspace in the kitchen for all of two minutes before the guest arrived. Phew! Overall, I was pleased with how the house looked for her visit.

This week has been extra busy, lots of balls in the air, so cleaning took place catch-as-catch-can. Finally, yesterday I got some time during overlapping naps to do a blitz. There's a bit of a backstory--our HOA is going to paint the outside of our house so yesterday they power-washed it. Well, when they blasted our french doors in the living room, dirty water splashed through the crack between the two doors, and covered a variety of toys. Yuck! So in order to motivate the nasty-toy-clean-up, I set the timer for 15 minutes. (T and L were both napping, but T could wake up at any moment.) The toys didn't turn out to be too bad, most could be wiped down with disinfecting wipes. So with that accomplished and 3 minutes left on the clock, I headed into the living room and picked up toys. The timer rang but T was still asleep, so I plowed on. Picked up all the toys and books and moved things to their proper places--it looked great. At that point, I thought my blitz was done, but I had to change the laundry anyway so I thought, Keep Going. So I changed the laundry and folded some towels and when that was done it had been a 45-minute-blitz, my longest one yet. Yea!

I have to pat myself on the back, because overlapping naps are all too rare, and it's unusual for me to spend that precious time cleaning. I was left with only about 10 minutes of free time before I had to make T's next bottle. So kudos to me for being productive when I could've been relaxing.

To see more blitzes, head to Organized Everyday.

Blitz It Friday

Okay, this wasn't the best week for me but Wednesday was busy and productive--once I banned myself from the computer for 4 hours. Still I only managed one blitz that day and once again it was the pots and pans. I set the timer for 15 minutes, but there were a few interruptions (such is life with kids), so when the timer buzzed I kept going till everything was clean--only five minutes more.

Thursday I was ready for a real blitz, the kind where you gets lots done. I set the timer for 20 minutes (the time I had until I had to make T's bottle), but all I accomplished was to clean the high chair and wash a beanie baby that was puked on during the recent stomach bug. Yuck.

I know that was hardly worthy of a blog post, but I wanted you all to know I'm trying. Struggling, but trying. For more blitzing, head over here.

Blitz It Friday

First, thanks so much to Organizing Mommy for giving me extra motivation to clean my house--the chance to blog about it! Check out more blitzes at http://organizedeveryday.blogspot.com/.


I hate hand-washing pots and pans, that's probably my least favorite chore. Apparently, my husband hates it too, since our sink is always full of messy pots and pans.

I'm a believer in the principle that you can do anything for 15 minutes, which is why a 15-minute blitz is perfect for this task. On Monday, I set my timer and man, I checked the timer often, it felt like a loooong 15 minutes, but when there was 22 seconds left on the clock I only had two pans left and I filled them with soap and water to soak. And unbelievably, I returned later that afternoon and finished (totally unlike me)!

Yesterday (Thursday), I did another 15-minute blitz. This time my task was to clean up Easter. First, I cleared the kitchen table and 409'd the tablecloth. (How do you clean your vinyl tablecloths, wipe them down or throw them in the wash?) Then I headed to the bedroom, where I had piled all the extra loot from the Easter Bunny and gifts, and found places for everything. I actually had to pause the timer when T woke up but I got her situated in the bouncy, restarted the timer, and pushed on. The last minutes were spent folding the now-clean-and-dry tablecloth and putting it in the closet. Voila, mission accomplished.

I'm loving this blitz thing, I wonder what I'll blitz today. Thanks for stopping by!

Blitz-It Friday--Master Bath

Haha, it's my first time posting a "button," let's hope it worked.

If you're coming over from http://organizedeveryday.blogspot.com/, welcome to my little blog. It's a work-in-progress (like everything else in my life). ;-)

I set out yesterday to blitz my long-neglected and disgusting master bathroom. I thought I'd do 5 minutes sink, 5 minutes toilet, 5 minutes shower for a 15-minute blitz. I didn't set a timer because I was timing something else. (Yes, I know, I need a second timer.) In the end, however, the sink and mirror took 12 minutes, the toilet 7 minutes and the shower 8 minutes--so it turned out to be a nice 30-minute blitz (with the final 3 minutes spent putting supplies and garbage away and changing my yucky clothes). I knew this short time wouldn't get it perfect, but it was enough time to take the bathroom from disgusting to roughly clean. And the nastiness was really getting on my nerves so the blitz was a great way to tackle this job I'd been dreading. It will be much easier now to go back and make it guest-worthy.

I'm off to see what others have blitzed. Thanks for stopping by!