Monday, August 15, 2011

Home Management Binder

Another thing that I have been stealing from the organizing blogs I have been reading is a "Home Management Binder".

While cleaning out my craft room the first day, I came across almost all the tools needed to make my own HMB. Every person's HMB will have the same basic elements but will be tailored to the specific home needs. Here's the links that I used when researching the binders:

Clean & Scentsible: Organize Everything-Family Binder

I Heart Organizing: March Challenge: Project "Household Binder"

Love to Save: THO: Home Management Binder

Flashy Sparkles: Home Operations Manual- Complete

Organized Home: Suggested Dividers for a Household Notebook

I used those as inspiration for what I wanted inside my binder. Then I went here to get the printables to fill out in my book.

Life...Your Way Printables

Before printing I filled out the information that I knew. Then I put them in the notebook. Any time I need to change information, I write it on the pages. I'm planning on re-typing and printing once every 6 months or so to update all the information. I still need to print the address forms but the rest of the books printables are complete to me.

Two days later and it has been a giant help.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Clean, Clean, Clean!

It is amazing what reading things on the internet can do for motivation. I never realized how reading certain blogs would motivate me to get things done around the house. I always figured that wasting time on the internet was just that, wasting time. But lately I've been checking out organizing blogs. Seeing how all these people are cleaning up their spaces has got me wanting to do the same thing. So I did.

First, two days ago, I started with my night stand. After finding some books stuffed in there, that turned into me going through my bookshelf in our room. On the shelf I found some of Ricky's things so I had to go through his night stand. I left the top drawer of his alone since that's the one he uses the most for all his random stuff. I'll get him to go through that another day.

After cleaning those three areas, I went to put things in my closet and I realized that there was a lot of space in there that I was covering up, mostly by my wedding dress. I still need to get in there and replace she shelf that literally fell out of the wall last year, but I still managed to make a lot more space even with it gone. The dress got moved to the top shelf and things just got moved around from there. Between our two closets I made plenty of room for more clothes that I expect to buy since I'm losing weight again. (I told myself I was only going to weigh myself once a month, but I gave in and did it the other day 187lbs. That's a 13lb loss so far!)


The closets put me on a roll. Next came our bathroom cabinets. I had a ton of lotion that had been given to me as gifts. There was some in there from 2003! I will say that no matter what the fragrance says on the bottle, after a certain period of time all lotion will start to smell exactly the same, gross. I was only able to salvage about 6 bottles. 2 of which I kept and I plan on giving away the other bottles to anyone that wants them.

Later that night I got started on my craft room, aka Giant Clutter Room. I got 4 plastic bags of stuff out and vowed to continue on it again. Which I did today. I got a construction grade garbage bag of things taken out today. I re-organized all my fabric too. That took forever. I do need to get more baggies though. I love putting things in baggies so it helps to have a full stock of them. I managed to put everything that's left to go through in the center of the room, so the next time I get in there I should be able to get it all finished.

-Britney Marie

Friday, August 5, 2011

Thanks, But That's Enough Poop For Now.

I figured by the time my twins were 4 years old I would be close to if not finished with cleaning up after them. And by that I mean poop. Lots and lots of poop. Baby twins are basically poop factories, which I expected. What I did not expect was to still be cleaning that much poop 4 years later.

For a few days, a couple weeks even, both girls were completely potty trained. I carried around a couple pairs of underwear in my purse just in case, but the wipes stayed home in the diaper bag hanging by our back door. I never expected what happened over the past two days.

Two days ago I saw the bathroom light on and both kids were nowhere to be found. I could hear chatting from the hallway so I went to check it out. I found Olivia completely naked and bent over with poop all over her backside. And Emma had a handful of wipes getting ready to take care of her sister. I wish I could have snapped a picture at that exact moment because their faces were priceless. I thanked Emma for helping her sister but told her that I should take over from here. She proceeded to delegate what I should do next, doling out the wipes.

Later that day, I found Liv in the twins bathroom covered in poop. She had tried to take care of it herself, which is commendable, but not well executed. It was on her nose, on her chin, on her feet, in her hair, everywhere. All I could do was just turn on the water and give her a bath.

Yesterday, while chatting on the phone with my mom, I found Olivia in the back bathroom trying to clean up her apparent accident. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but this was the 6th time that day that we'd had this problem. I get off the phone to deal with Liv. When I get out I notice that the twins bathroom light is on. This means that Em is currently in there. Not expecting much, I go back in there to make sure she's remembered to flush, which she consistently forgets.

I found her with the majority of the toilet paper roll in the toilet, another handful in her hand covered in poop, and the soiled underwear STUCK to the side of the toilet. Not to mention the little poop foot prints all over the floor. *sigh* The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning the bathrooms.

I realize that my bathrooms aren't the cleanest, but you'd think my kids would just tell me they want me to clean it instead of spreading poop around. Seems easier my way, but what do I know?

-Britney Marie

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Start And Stop

I have opened the New Post page several times only to not have anything interesting to say so I close it again. I find it harder and harder to find the words I want to post.

I've had a rough couple days. I think it stems from a lack of sleep and the children fighting constantly. As soon as Ricky gets home I want to go to our room, keep the lights off and just sit there for a while to calm down. I feel like I spend the majority of my day disciplining the children and cleaning up after the destruction zone they create. 'Course the reason I feel like I do that is because that's exactly what I do.

I love my kids, I do. I enjoy spending time with them and watching them grow up and I miss them when they are not here, but to have to spend 24 hours a day (it seems like) cooped up here with them is making me crazy! They just got into the back-talking stage and ever other word out of their mouth is "No" or "I don't wanna..." or "My sister did this..." As an only child I never had to deal with things like that. I'd like to think that if I had a sibling that these daily squabbles wouldn't bother me like they do, but not being used to it makes it really frustrating when they fight. I know it's what kids do, and I know it's what siblings do, but I just wish they wouldn't do it all...day...long.

Today has been easier. Whenever they start to fight or argue, I have them sit on opposite ends of the couch. Emma is already on "yellow light" today for back-talking me and not listening, but at this point yesterday, Liv was on yellow and Em was on red, so I see improvement. I'm also taking things a lot slower today.I made pancakes for breakfast and cleaned the kitchen, then took some time for myself and played some "Plants vs Zombies". The kids love to watch me play, so their time-out time wasn't spent whining, but watching me play. Win-win, I guess.

Right now, they are eating a snack in our bed watching "Enchanted". Emma seems to love that movie, she picked it yesterday and today. I'm going to take this opportunity to straighten up the living room and maybe have a snack myself.

-Britney Marie

Monday, August 1, 2011

Funny Things My Kids Have Said *July Edition*

Emma to Olivia: "I'm not Strawberry [Shortcake], I'm LarryBoy! I crush you!"


Each girl is on an opposite end of the couch for time out at the moment. Emma is taunting her sister.
Emma: "Olivia, get up. Do it! Do it!"


*after putting on her new black shoes*
Olivia: "Look Mommy! I've got tapping shoes!"


Emma: "Mommy, I want to paint Daddy's toenails."


Emma and Olivia: "We want to watch 'Pedos and the Penguins!"
Me: "*snickers*"


*After putting on her Batman ghetto cap with her Easter Sunday white dress up hat*
Emma: "Okay, I have to go to work."
Me: "Alrighty. Where do you work?"
Emma: "At Grammie's house."
Me: "What do you do at work?"
Emma: "Feed the ducks."
Me: "Wow! That's a nice job."
Emma: "Yeah, I know."


*the kids are playing pretend*
Olivia: "Moono! What are you doing?"
Emma: "I'm not Moono. I'm The Batman!"


Emma: "Olivia's fighting me. Emma's angry."


Emma: "Oh Daddy...I got my baby..."
Ricky: "What's your baby's name?"
Emma: "Hailuh. Hailuh Baby."


Every time Emma gets something taken away from her by me, she always gets Olivia to get them back. For example, I just took Emma's cookies and candy away for her kicking her sister.
Emma: "Olivia, get mommy to give me back my stuff."
Olivia "Give Emma back her stuff!!" *punches me in the leg and runs off* "How's that Emma?"
Emma: "Uh, not quite."


Emma just stuffed her plush Backpack (from Dora) with everything she could find, from books to Veggietales plush to candy. She had me help her put it on and her blanket around her neck. Then she looks at me and says, "I'm ready to see Ms. Marilyn. And I'm ready to see Grammie."


Emma: "Mommy, I watch 'Pedos and the Penguin'"
Me: "Yeah, I don't think that's right, Em-Em"


Emma: "Mommy! I poop a big girl!"


*from the bathroom*
Olivia: "Look! Another poop. He's swimming!"


*after seeing the frozen hamburger meat on a plate to defrost it*
Olivia: "Mmm, mmmm, yummy! My favorite!"
Me: "Your favorite is frozen hamburger meat?"
*thinks for a moment*
Olivia: "No. That's gross."


Me: "Emma, what is in your hand?"
*Emma shows the plastic microphone*
Me: "Don't hit your sister with that."
*Look over to see Emma riding her sister like a horse and hitting her in the head with the microphone*
Me: "*sigh*"


Me: "Emma, what is your full name?"
Emma: "Uhhhmmmm..."
Me: "Emma...Leigh...Gravatt."
Emma: "Emma...Lee...Toofat."


Emma: "Mommy, have some 'coffee'."
*uses a spoon to shovel it in my mouth*


*talking to her blanket*
Emma: "This is Mommy. He is a girl. He's my friend. *smiles*"