It's COLD in here!

Yesterday evening while cooking dinner, I felt cold so I went to check the heat. Our thermostat is a turn dial that easily gets bumped and turned down (or way up) by accident. When I reached the thermostat, I saw that it was already turned up to our preferred temperature of 70 degrees but the house was only at 62 degrees. I turned it way up and the heat didn't click on. It was then that I realized I had been checking the heat all day and the temperature had been going down all day.

I asked my husband to check it out. He played it it for a while and then went down into our cellar and played with the furnace for a while. Then he got online and researched it for a while. Back and forth he went: computer, thermostat, computer, furnace, computer. He finally concluded that he thought it was either a specific part on the furnace or the thermostat itself. Off to Home Depot he went. He arrived home with two parts.

First, he installed the furnace part; it was the cheapest fix. It didn't do it. So, he started to install the thermostat only to find it wouldn't work. The thermostat requires a three-wire set up and ours only has a two-wire set up. Back to Home Depot he went only to return at 9pm with news that Home Depot didn't carry any two-wire thermostats. We'd just have to bundle up for the night.

Fortunately for us, our bedrooms upstairs have their own cadet heaters and don't use the forced air heat from the furnace. We were nice and warm in our rooms last night but when we came downstairs it was only 57 degrees in our house. Today's high is 48 so I'm expected it to continue to get colder in our house. You see, we have 17 single-pane windows on the first floor of our house letting in all that cold air.

We are hoping the little, local, family-owned hardware store will have a thermostat that will work. They often carry parts for older homes (ours is 88 years old) that the big stores don't carry. In the meantime, send some warmth our way, will ya?

WFMW - Toy Storage

It's time for another Works for Me Wednesday. I think this is my favorite blogging day because I get to browse through everyone's Works for Me Wednesday tips and glean some great ideas to implement in my own home. Check out this week's tips over at Rocks in My Dryer.

Last week, I posted about how we store our large collection of stuffed animals. Someone asked me if I had a tip for the millions and trillions of action figures in their house. Well, yes...yes I do. Here it is...

I've seen these bins at Fred Meyer, Target, Walmart and other stores like that. To my knowledge, they come in primary colors, white/clear, and pink/purple. They aren't expensive. I've seen the white/clear ones as low as $9.99 but they are usually about $15-$20 each. The colored ones usually cost a bit more. They come with caster wheels but I prefer to use them without wheels in this situation; the drawers stay put better.

What I have done is sort out the toys into natural categories and placed each category into a drawer. For example, some of our drawers are sorted by balls, cars, action figures, Legos, Barbie, My Little Pony, Polly Pocket. etc. Some of these categories are too large for a drawer so I've further broken those down into subcategories such as Barbie and Barbie assessories.

Each drawer is labeled making it easy to remember what is in each drawer. There are two benefits to this; the kids can find all the pieces to a collection without having to dig into the bottom of a toy box and they can put their toys away quickly and easily. I have also found that guests can easily help put away toys after a play date as well because it is easy to find where everything goes. If someone doesn't know where something goes, my kids can simply say that it goes in the yellow one on the left or that red one there. I have found that since I've implemented this storage system, it is easier for my children and their friends to pick up after playing. If needed, each drawer can also pull all the way out which makes taking just a few toys to another room for playing easy.

Now, I'm not saying that their room stays clean all the time. We generally try to make picking up their room part of the nightly routine. Over time, though, it does tend to get messier and drawers get stuffed full of things that don't belong. I've found that once every few months, I need to take a day to help my kids sort through their things. We declutter and reorganize when needed. Overall, though, I find that this system works well for us and has lasted us for several years.

If you don't like plastic bins, try doing the same thing with the wooden cubicles that use fabric bins instead. They look very nice.

WFMW - Stuffed Animal Storage

My post on the awesome way that we store our stuffed animals has moved to my new blog. Read about our stuffed animal zoo at Homeschool Distractions.

WFMW - Washing Dishes

I just love all the neat tips I've been reading about every since I first discovered and started reading blogs. Now I'm excited that I get to participate too. Check out Rocks in my Dryer for tons more tips from other blogs. You all rock!

We don't have a dishwasher so we have to wash dishes by hand. We (my husband and I both) have a tendency to wash the easy dishes (plates, cups, utensils) and run out of steam before we get to the hard dishes (pots, pans, and other larger items). I have found that if I wash the pots, pans, and larger items first I'm more likely to finish washing all of the dishes.


Here, in the photo, the larger items are completed and the easy dishes are soaking.




After the larger dishes are done, I usually either dry them and put them away. It only takes a few minutes. If I only have a few pots and pans, I'll put them on the stove burners (turned off) to finish drying while I finish up. Then I whip out the easy dishes and put away the now dry larger things and enjoy the fact that they are ALL done Yea!

Distracted Cleaning or What I Do All Day

My house is slightly messy a total disaster. I decided to see how much crisis cleaning I can do in one day with three kids underfoot. While doing so I would force myself to take adequate breaks get distracted and post about it as I go along. This will give you focused and organized types an idea of what happens when a disorganized, easily distracted, mom tries to clean.

Well, I realized that the list format I started to post in isn't going to work so I'm changing that. I was also thinking about that story that goes around about the husband who comes home from work, looks around, and askes his wife, "What have you been doing all day?" Well, this is an answer to that question and serves as a means to understanding (hopefully) why a husband can come home at the end of the day and see what looks like the results of his wife doing nothing all day. (My husband wants you to know that he has NEVER come home and asked me this. He's wonderful.)

It is noon and here is what I've done so far today (in order): I woke up, checked my blog, and got distracted and looked at a bunch of other blogs. I tried to get the baby to eat dry cheerios instead of break my laptop, gave up and shared a bowl of cheerios (in milk) with the baby. He was still acting cranky so I nursed the baby down for a nap. With baby asleep, I looked around my house and cried (not really but felt totally overwhelmed). Then I got the grand idea that if I just focused and worked hard, I could clean the WHOLE house in one day! But first I'll get distracted for an hour and now I can't remember what I did during that time...wandered around aimlessly probably. Baby woke up before I could get started so I put the baby in the bath. Then I looked at my bathroom (it looked like a dust bunny -- read: something made of dust, fur, and hair - exploded in it). While the baby soaked, I started cleaning and got distracted by the grungy appearance of the walls. I started washing the walls and got distracted by the grungy appearance of the window and cleaned it. Finishing the window, I went back to cleaning the walls, cleaned the shelf, mirror, and sink in the bathroom. By now the baby is trying to launch himself out of the tub, so I got the bloated well-hydrated baby out of the bathtub, dried him, and dressed him. Then I realized I better start the laundry if I'm to get any of it done so I asked my 7 year old to watch the baby for a minute so I could start a load of laundry. I filled a basket and took it down to the cellar, started the load, and came upstairs where I remembered that we'd have no dinner if I didn't get the bread started soon. I started loading the bread machine when my 7 year old called me to take the baby back. I told her that if she wanted dinner tonight she should watch him for a couple more minutes. She agreed that dinner would be nice so I finished putting the bread ingredients in the bread machine. Then I went upstairs to fetch the baby. While there I saw the bed and thought I should make it so I could fold the laundry when it is done. I fold my laundry on the bed. My husband came home from a small job he was doing and told me he got his job offer (he's been out of work for 3 weeks). I hovered waiting for details. We discussed said details then I tried to start this post but baby wasn't having it. I got up and looked for a snack for him, found Cheese Its, and gave him two small crackers. Baby choked on said Cheese its. Then I reheated mac & cheese to feed the kids an early lunch since they were hungry from skipping breakfast (its their responsibility to get their own breakfast) and baby was hungry (he eats our food ground up by a baby food processor). Then I handed baby over to hubby to feed. Meanwhile, I washed dishes in the sink, got the pots and pans soaking, got distracted by thoughts of smoke inhalation, and cleaned the stove so we would die of smoke inhalation next time I use it (had a huge boil over recently). Hubby made comment about stuff accumulating on my newly cleaned side table so I removed said accumulation. Now Hubby thought baby was tired so I take him (the baby) upstairs to nurse him to sleep. He didn't sleep. I handed baby back to hubby, hubby put baby down so he could reply to job offer, mommy told kids to come play with baby, and I started this post The bread just beeped so off to get the next part started. Did I tell you that my hubby is wonderful?

It's been about two hours now. Here's what I can remember of it: I shaped the bread dough and left it to proof. Then I started another loaf of bread in the machine. Then I filled another laundry basket and took it downstairs. I brought the dry clothes upstairs and dumped them on my bed to be folded. Then I realized I was hungry and went downstairs to find some food for myself. I didn't find anything so I went to put away the clean dishes. While doing that, my 7 year old told me a math problem with an incorrect answer which lead to a short math lesson on negative numbers. After that distraction, I went to look for food again, found something and prepared it. I ate part of it before going back to the kitchen and washed some dishes before refilling the sink with most of the rest. Oops, I forgot the bread and put it in the oven. I remembered the unfinished bathroom and started cleaning the cabinet. I was pretty nasty so I pulled everything off and out of it. I found a bunch of missing items in there. I remembered I had Crest Whitestrips so I stopped to apply a set to my teeth while I was in there cleaning. Then I remembered the bread! When did the timer beep! I took the bread out of the oven. Then I realized it would be time for a new load of laundry soon so I went upstairs to fold it. On the way, I got distracted by the computer and checked my email. There was nothing interesting so I closed it without reading any. My 5 year old came upstairs and told me he was going to use his computer time but I told him to call his sister to help fold and put away there clothes instead. We folded and put away the clothes. By this time the baby was tired, so I nursed him to sleep. Then I realized that I still had the whitening strips on my teeth so I went downstairs to remove them and brush the goo off my teeth. Then I realized I should post this before I forgot any more of what I've been doing. While typing the bread machine beeped and I remembered that I never got the next load of laundry done nor is the bathroom cabinet finished.

It's been another hour and twenty minutes since I last checked in. After closing my laptop, I got the bread dough and shaped it. I decided to shape the rolls into three smaller balls each that would grow together into a pull apart type of roll. It takes longer but I got it done. Leaving that to proof, I started washing the dishes until I remembered that I needed to start another load of laundry. If I didn't get it in right away, I wouldn't have time to finish it before I had to leave tonight (at 5:30pm). So I went upstairs and filled another basket and took it down to the cellar to start. I remembered that I still had to wrap my white elephant gift for tonight so I went upstairs and did that. Hubby came in to change baby's clothes (he blew out) and I thought about having him put on tonight's outfit (Christmas jammies since I won't be home with him until around 10pm). The recently finished load of clothes wasn't in the room so I went downstairs to grab it. It wasn't there either so I called upstairs to my husband and asked him it it was upstairs. It wasn't. I found it in the cellar where I forgot it. I took that upstairs and folded/hung those clothes with the kids' help. Then I went downstairs and remembered the rolls. I got those baking in the oven and returned to the bathroom. I finished up that cabinet I had started earlier. It looks nice now and cleaned the other cabinet (not that dirty) and wiped down the rest of the walls. While I was in there I remembered the rolls in the oven...just in time and took them out. My 7 year old came in and, bless her heart, declared the bathroom clean. It's not done yet. I was exhausted so I decided to sit and type a few minutes.

It's pretty much time for me to leave but I wanted to finish this up. Since I last logged on, I've finished the bathroom (which included scrubbing the tub, cleaning the floor, cleaning the things I had removed when I started, shaking out the rugs, and replacing everything.) I also worked on some more dishes. When I went to do the dishes, I found four new items waiting for me. Apparently, my son found our four Tupperware sandwich keepers in his backpack complete with the remains of their sandwiches from our trip the the children's museum 15 days ago. Ewww! I made my peanut butter bars...yea! I took a shower, brushed my hair and teeth, and got dressed. I just finished packing up my potluck items and the diaper bag. I had a conversation with my husband at some point also and cleaned out my ears in the middle of last paragraph...they were bugging me. Before my shower I remembered that my clothes were in the dryer so I had to do that first. During my shower, I called to my 7 year old to give the dog's their water (it had been on the counter out of the baby's reach so the dog was busy trying to drink from my shower). After my shower, I realized I had forgotten to grab a towel so I had to call my husband to bring me one. All that is left now is for me to leave and finish tomorrow...there's plenty more work to be done!

Did I tell you my husband is wonderful? While he doesn't understand me in the least, he does accept that this is how I think and function. For most of the day, he took care of the baby in one way or another. It was nice to have that break.

See ya tomorrow!

My Beautiful Decluttered Table

Only 10 days left until Christmas and I still haven't gotten all the decorations up yet! Normally, I like to decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving but I haven't been the least big motivated this year. I found a little bit of motivation today.

There's this blog I like. In fact, I think it was the first blog I ever found and read. It's called I'm an Organizing Junkie. Every so often (twice a year, I think), she holds a 30 Day Organizational Challenge where all the participants take 30 days to organize either a whole room or a small space. Then they post before and after pictures and answer some questions on their blogs for all to see. The winners get some cool prizes and my awe at their wonderful, new, organized spaces. Well, I didn't have a blog so I couldn't participate in the contest. Today I was thinking about the most recent challenge and thought I'd challenge myself to a Super Small Space Organization Challenge and post about it for motivation. So, here's my side table:

This is the before photo: This table is a magnet for just about anything. It's also where two of our three laptops get placed when not in use. In the space between the couch and the table, there's a bunch of paper trash that missed the can and a huge tangle of laptop cords.

Here's the after photo with our little Nativity set up. Isn't it just beautiful!

Here is an overview of the whole area. Each basket holds a laptop and its cord. No more tangled mess of cords! The baskets are from the dollar store...an idea I got from Laura, the Organizing Junkie. Thanks Laura!