Monday, May 30, 2011

Summer is here!



Summer has officially started for us now.  The kids start school in mid-August, so they are out before Memorial day {and we don't have snow days here in L.A.}!  Yippee!

Source


So, even though summertime may give us all the idea that we can lay around and do nothing all day, the house will not clean itself {nor the laundry} and the kids will eventually get bored!  Trust me, it will probably happen in the first few hours "Mom, I'm bored..."






Source and tutorial to make


I make a summer "schedule" for us just to keep us sort of on par for what's going on. Just because we're on vacation from school, doesn't mean chores stop.  Life happens, laundry is still here, the house still needs to be cleaned, and the yard has to be kept up!  


Last summer I pretty much kept my same schedule as I did during the school year, but modified and switched up a couple of days.  It didn't work as well as I liked, AND I'm tired of having a "cleaning day" - I spend every Monday cleaning and doing laundry.  I like doing all my laundry, once a week, and then being done - it's the "achiever" in me!

During the school year, it's the only way I've had to keep up with my cleaning- since two days a week I'm teaching piano lessons from home.  But, I don't teach piano lessons all summer and I want to go back to my "15 minutes a day" cleaning schedule like I had when the kids were little!  

Source


Now you get to see my brain in action, and my life out in the open!  Here is my plan {amidst the summer activities} of how I plan to keep my house clean:

Mondays - My laundry day {I will keep this the same}
             - Dusting 
             {15-20 minutes, have kids do their own rooms}

Tuesdays -  Vacumming 
             {20 minutes if I hurry, 30 if I go slow}

Wednesdays - Mopping
             {5-10 minutes for kitchen, 5 minutes or less each bath, 5-10 minutes for family room - my daughter will be helping with this chore, also}

Thursdays - Bathroom Day
             {Mirrors, tub/shower, counters, toilet 5-10 min. each room}

Fridays - Kitchen clean up day
             {Clean sink, wipe down stove/oven, thoroughly wipe counters and all surfaces} 

Here is a FREE printable at my Scribd!
Summer 15 Minute Cleaning Schedule

I plan to try and tackle at least one area of organizing each week {unless we're on vacation!}.  This may be just re-adjusting something I already organized or re-doing something altogether!  I also have noticed some areas in my house that need some attention - dusty and dirty.  I will still try to tackle at least one project a week, if possible, like I usually do on Fridays.  




Keep in mind, when I do a schedule like this, stuff comes up!  If it does, I can easily skip that chore for the day and either combine it for the next day or just do it the following week. Skipping every once in a while isn't a big deal - my house won't fall apart!  I'm not a perfectionist and I just don't need to vacuum my house every single day - I don't have time and it's just not that big of a deal.  Yes, if someone comes in and dumps a shoe full of sand on the floor, of course I'll clean it up.  But, the dog's hair is always around and keeping him {the dog} in his own bed and washing that regularly helps immensely!


On top of this, I do plan to do fun stuff with the kids - since this should only take 15-20 minutes a day to do my small chore!  Yippee!  This gives us days to run errands, go to the beach, hang out at swim lessons, or just sit around at home.  After all, we've got Backyard Thursdays coming, too!  More on that later...



I'll be re-doing the kids' schedule, so I'll try to make that up and show you that when it's done.  I know many of you like seeing that and it might help motivate you, also.  Do you have any fun plans for this summer?

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Friday, May 27, 2011

Gardening project: Trellises & Containers

I must admit, gardening at this house has been not nearly as fun as it used to be.  We lived in our other house for 11 years and it had a decent-sized yard, but not huge.  Here are a few pictures of what our "old" house front and backyard looked like:

I loved all the lighting we had, the curving edges....in the backyard.

My side yard was small but we made the same curves and I added hanging baskets.

This shed was just SO cute tucked in the corner!

The front porch always had pansies...most of the year {my favorite flower}.

We had a beautiful Japanese maple...

Nice siding, black doors and shutters...

We had a built-in BBQ, much smaller than ours now.

Same swingset!
Very warm and inviting...I think so!

I had everything all figured out in the garden and then we moved in 2006.  But, here is what you don't see - the 405 Freeway across the street from our house!!!  Yep, that's right, people, it looks so nice in the pictures but when it came right down to it - LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!!  As much as I loved that little, track house - everyone on the street had the same one with just slightly different things to it {built in the 1950s}, it just wasn't in the best location.  


Along came this wonderful home, but I had to start all over in my gardening and figuring out what plants worked best.  It's only 10 miles away from the old house but the soil is completely different as well as the temperatures!


Back entry, BEFORE.

Back Entry, Now.
I used to avidly garden, but this yard is so much bigger that I haven't really been nearly as fond of working in it - it has just overwhelmed me.  I've mostly planted annuals.  To me, the front lawn is just a waste of money.  We spend a small fortune watering that lawn and no one ever even steps foot on it!  Of course, being the person I am, I always have a LOT of ideas for this front yard.  I imagine ripping out nearly all the lawn {maybe put a small patch of the new "fake" lawn in}, using indigenous plants, and I imagine a large, front patio {to sit and chat with neighbors} with a pathway leading up to the front entrance....I can dream!

Before: front of our house, September 2006

The location of our home is in a quiet, residential neighborhood and it's sublime!

But, for now, I must keep it looking nice.  So, I plant container flowers for the front porch and I recently added some trellises with climbing flowers on the side of the house along the driveway.  

A view down the driveway towards the backyard....

Beautiful climbing flowers...I only wish I could remember what they were called!


I got these trellises at Costco - a set of three - for my birthday from my hubby!


These are sweet potato vines...

A look towards the street...my van! Notice, no freeway across the street now!

 So, tell me, have you been out gardening lately?  What is your favorite plant?  I have to plant heat tolerant plants along the driveway and on our deck as they will bake out there in the summer months!


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Parties:
 Remodelaholic 
Designer Garden 
Funky Junk Interiors
DIY Showoff 
Ask Anna 
Simple Home Life 

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

How I organize my blog: Blogversary

Tomorrow marks ONE year since my first post here on Organizing Made Fun.  Yes, it's truly been fun for me this year.



No, I do not have a giveaway. I believe that I have very faithful, loyal followers who come simply to be inspired! I have always believed that if you truly liked this blog, you would follow me. If not, that's OK because I'm not for you!  I have many that say they "follow me, so I should follow back"....but I honestly just don't have time to keep up with so many blogs - I already follow about 150 blogs!  I DO try to leave as many of you comments on your blogs when I see great stuff or if you send me a link!  I appreciate all the great readers that I have...

15 Minutes a day to clean your house:  Second Most popular post EVER {with over 8,000 hits}
One thing I AM going to do for you is to share a bunch of my blog organizing tips and things I have learned over this past year.  Here are my personal tips to get better at blogging:


1.  Set a schedule:  you can see on my sidebar I have a schedule.  I am a scheduler and I needed some sort of predictable themes.  I also needed to make it set days of the week.  I decided that Monday, Wednesday, and Friday was easiest - three times a week!  I also decided specific content for each of those days.  It gives my readers some sort of idea that I have a plan.  I realize some blogs "fly by the seat of their pants" {well, it's just a different style - my friend, Lisa is FANTASTIC at this but her blog is all about her writing and she's hysterical}. For some blogs it's confusing knowing what's coming on some of them and I love looking forward to regular posts on my favorite blogs.



2.  Have a practice blog:  This was especially important when trying out my updated blog look.  It is great to try out stuff that I am unsure how it will look. It's a mock-up of my real blog!  I also try out html codes and gadgets and see how they look.




3.  Plan ahead:  I have my posts scheduled WAY ahead of time.  I do mine about 1-2 weeks ahead {or more}.  Which seems ridiculous to some....but, I've had TWO computer crashes {both while my techy hubby was out of town} and didn't miss a beat!  You didn't even know it..cause all my posts were set.

Look familiar?  It's my test blog!



4.  Schedule your posts for the same time everyday:  Even if you aren't two weeks ahead, like me, and you do a post the night before just schedule it for the same time of the day.  Some blogs I read regularly, I know are going to hit 12 AM {EST} which is 9 PM my time and I look forward to reading them every night while on my netbook and watching TV.  Plus, the post will publish even if you are out and about doing something and you never have to think about it.




5. Sign up as an email subscriber and follower of your blog.  This way if anything happens, you'll notice.  



My email subscription was missing for three posts and I noticed I hadn't been receiving them.  I wouldn't have known this otherwise and was able to figure out the problem and fix it, with my hubby's help! 

 
Also, make it EASY to follow you. Some blogs don't, and it's a little annoying if I want to follow you.  Using one of these {pictured above or below} is quick and easy! Use the gadget in your blogger to show the followers, subscribe, or FB follow, on your MAIN page side bar - or even make a tab for it up on top!!


6.  Use a great DIY blog helper: Learn how to do all kinds of neat things.  My favorite one is Sneaky Momma Blog Design.  She helps you figure out how to do complicated widgets, gadgets, and htmls in a very easy way.  She's a girl and knows how to explain it in girl-ways!  I have also gotten great tips from Donna, at Funky Junk Interiors.




Easy Blog Tips!


7.  Words and Wordiness:  I especially do not like posts with teeny, tiny words....now that I'm 40 my eyes cannot read your posts when they are written this small!!!!  I personally set mine on "large" cause it's just easier on my eyes!  I will literally give up and not read your post if your words are too small.  


Also, I subscribe to a LOT of blogs so I don't have time to read a lot of words and specifics. Give me the facts and lots of great pictures! Yes, I realize THIS is a wordy post - so I try to break it up with pictures...I try to keep these long posts to a minimum.  I really try not to overwhelm you with every single step of organizing or DIYing.  I just show you lots of pictures and you can figure it out!

Too many words {and small print} is like this in my brain!!!


8.  Check your spelling:  One of the reasons I like to schedule my posts so far away is that I go back and re-read them a few days before and make sure I worded everything so you can understand it, check my spelling, and any other problems it could have - even adding link-ups with words to other previous posts. 

I always tell our son...go BACK and check everything you turn in!! Same thing for blogs!
I can think of one popular blogger {who shall remain nameless} that time and time again has typos and spelling errors!  This happens, usually, when we're in a hurry and rushing to get a post out!  I still have typos, but I try to read the post AGAIN once it's officially posted and fix the error right away.  One problem:  the email subscribers only get the first post you send!  So, try to get it right the first time!


9.  Lots of pictures:  I LOVE pictures -see my Pinterest.  I have been doing my best to try and take the best pictures I can. I have a great blogger friend, Toni from A Bowl Full of Lemons, who has given me a few photography tips {she's a professional photographer and it SHOWS on her blog}  I have read and re-read posts about taking pictures, taking into account as much as I can.  Then, using Photoscape program {which is FREE} to fix them or make them cool! HERE is a great link on photo tips {from Centsational Girl} that I have used.  


My favorite practice shot!  I'm practicing picture taking all the time!
10. Make friends, not enemies: I have made so many blogging friends this year.  Yes, even blog friends with the SAME type of organizing, project-minded blogs as me.  What they do is actually help ME to get more people over here to look at my blog and I help THEM!  Plus, we have something in common - blogging and organizing!! So, it's VERY fun to email chat, text, Twitter, and all that with my many blog friends! I am not competing with them...

My friend, Anna from Ask Anna. Got to meet her recently when she came to my house!

 Last, I'm going to give you some fun facts from this year:


#1 Most popular post was:  Parade of Homes Event with over 21,000 page-views {and climbing everyday}

#3 Most popular post was:  How I organized my weight-loss with over 8,500 page-views!


#1 Most searched keyword:  Organizing headbands!


#1 Most popular tab {almost a tie}:  How to have a {fake} immaculate house with over 7,000 pageviews and My Home...a little tour! They are about neck and neck!


My FIVE top referring sites are:



IHeart Organizing



 
4.  I'm an Organizing Junkie
Organizing Junkie
 
5.  Beneath My Heart
beneath my heart






Thanks to all these websites that have helped me out a lot!  I appreciate all of their efforts and link parties that have especially given me a lot of viewers and followers!  Speaking of link parties....I AM actually going to start doing some link parties in the near future!  Yes...it's shocking!!  So, I will be telling you more about that soon!  For now, I am still organizing my thoughts!

Do you have a great way of organizing something?  Or a picture of something you've worked hard to organize?  You could be featured on my Facebook page or featured on the blog!  Email me here!  Please tell your friends about Organizing Made Fun...we are having a BLAST here!

Parties:
Organize and Decorate Everything
House of Hepworths 
Delightful Order 
Stuff and Nonsense 
Tidy Mom 
Serenity Now 
Tater Tots and Jello 
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Organize with Sandy 
The Lettered Cottage 
Homebody 
Handy Man, Crafty Woman 

 






Monday, May 23, 2011

Great article: 12 Secrets of the Closet Pros

If you've followed me for any length of time, you may have noticed I LOVE an organized closet!  I even save up for a new closet system each year for the house!  But, not everyone is able to do that.  I found this great article on organizing your closet, but you can just use simple things to help you get it organized!  Read on...





Have a great way of organizing something?  Send me an email and I can feature you {your blog or pictures}!