lifestyle
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How to get organized and decrease your stress
I feel like we have all been there. Overwhelmed by our stuff, especially after the holidays, and we need to purge. The stuff gets the best of us and there is simply just too much of it. The overall feeling of this year has been fitness and overall well being. But its hard to have a feeling of well being when your overwhelmed. So time to tackle the mess and end the stress. I am sharing my journey of how to get organized to make my home and life a better place.
My biggest issue is well, everything exactly. I am pretty sure I am not alone when I feel like every space needs a clean up and a purge. From the kitchen to the bedrooms to the bathroom to the garage. I have two kids who love their stuff and a wonderful mother that makes sure we are all well taken care of so our home is overflowing at times.
Last year I started in the basement in the unfinished space of the house. It was full of totes, totes full of kids clothes, decor for holidays and apartment stuff. I decided to get rid of all the colors of totes and get all matching. Why is this a good idea you ask? In getting all matching totes it caused the emptying out all of the totes and get rid of stuff we didn’t need. I cleaned out all of the kids clothes, all of the decor and all the other items that didn’t have a home. This went for all of the other spaces that had totes. Under the stairs totes were switched out to all matching totes so all of those got cleaned out and organized. The garage as well had all the multiple colors got cleaned out and reduced to a couple of totes that all match.
Before I had a lapse in the last few months with the downstairs having all of the holidays stuff and Will being down there with me while I work out so it was a disaster. After one morning though I got it all cleaned out and organized. Totes can make a huge difference in how to get organized in the storage area.
after I started working on the kitchen last year and got alot of items in cute little storage containers but the larger drawers will still out of control. I got a ton of cute plastic containers for all of the small drawers. Measured them and thought about what I wanted to keep in them and ordered accordingly. I also did this for some of the pull out containers. This had all the snacks organized and the same for the baking drawers.
I bought cute little containers after I measured for the short pantry in the island. Some Tupperware for all of my baking goods and labels I made with my computer and cute little baskets to hold all of the holiday decorations for cakes and cookies.
For the regular pantry I cleaned out all of the shelves and put down new contact paper to clean it up a bit. Having the paper down gives it a great clean new look and cleaning out appliances I no longer used. Expired food that had been taking up space was all discarded. The roll out pantry I just went through and cleaned out all the slides. Its amazing how you don’t look at it forever and all the items that have gone bad.
The spice drawer I wanted a nice clean look so I got new spice containers and jars that I printed off labels for. I wanted just an organized aesthetic. I think the jars and spices completely captured that. Its so clean and easy to find things now. I love how it looks and just feels clean. Two sets of spice containers were needed and jars for all of the larger spices that take up more space. To keep track of the expiration just write on the bottom of the jar.
The larger pull out drawers I just finished up on. The silverware and all of the things. I pulled out everything and got rid of all of the items that looked like they had passed their prime and usefulness and got rid of anything we didn’t use anymore. Its amazing how much you can get rid of when you just take the time to pull it all out and look at what you have.
I have made great strides in the kitchen and garage so far and plan on keeping it up. I still have a few more rooms to go and plan on sharing the journey with you.
How to get organized:
- Buy matching totes-cleaning out the old ones helps get rid of stuff and makes the space look organized
- Measure all of the drawers and think of what you want in there
- Pull out everything and get rid of what you don’t use
- Getting rid of the clutter makes you feel better
- Having cleaning shows on in the background helps to get inspired.
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The Weekly Roundup from Instagram
Have you adjusted yet? I know I haven’t! I totally slept in the other morning and I didn’t feel guilty at all. I just needed some more time in bed, maybe a day would do me. Its looking like a busy weekend so going to have to schedule in some naps.
If you joined my stories this week you saw some home repairs to an apartment which surprisingly to me I got some request for more of! I have been a landlord for years now and was a general contractor previously and I am so glad you want to see more of that. I will try to shoot some more footage of that and also of my ongoing organization of the kitchen. Its such a great feeling to clean and organize you forget how nice it looks when its been a disaster for so long lol.
Onto the clothes, there has been huge markdowns and clearances due to the new stock of clothes coming in. I have been loving the lilac for spring clothes that I saw the other day and can’t wait to see more. Here is what you guys loved this week.
This is my #momlife! My Tahoe and amazon! Spent the other day helping Piper pick out all of her decorations and invitations to her birthday party. One stop shopping is so the way to go sometimes, especially because she wasn’t feeling well and laying on the couch as we shopped. This big beast makes life so much easier. I love all the room it has and how pretty it is. I can go to Costco or fill it full of cleaning supplies for cleaning apartments lol. This sweater is under 20 and so comfy, you can easily do a one shoulder look and these jeans fit true to size.
Loving the stripes! Such a cute and cozy top! Love how it looks and how you can go over the shoulder. This is a small but if you want a more oversized look go up one size. Paired with these jeans that felt like I was at the beach, highwaisted and ankle cut with raw hem. Such a cute look!
I love cardigans and leggings! I would live in these if I could! I still can’t believe I have gone on this long without trying the Spanx Leggings. They are seriously the best! Go up one size in them, I am in a medium.
How snuggly is this! I love cozy tops and I wear them almost all the time including bed, Kyles place is freezing! So when I find a good one I grab it. Go up one size in this one because its not long but so reasonable priced.
This green sweater is actually a mix of blues, whites, greens and browns. Loving all the variation in it and how cozy it really is. You can stay true to size in it and the fit is perfect. These jeans go up one size, so comfy.
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Our trip to Universal Studios Orlando
Earlier this last year I decided that I wanted to take the kids somewhere special this year after Christmas. I’m divorced so we have the super fun schedule of before and after Christmas and I had after which means I had 10 days solid with the kids before school started back up. I knew we couldn’t stay at home that long just chilling in the cold weather so Florida here we come.
Piper has been to Disney at least 5 times that I can think of and Will has been there once so I figured a new adventure was awaiting us. I just had friends that had stayed at Universal over the Summer and heard looks of good things about it so it was an easy decision. I booked our flights and hotel stay through Alligent Air and got the hotel Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. Our tickets we bought for the parks online and off we went December 28- Jan 2.
After one long delay we made it to the airport, quickly got into our rental car and drove the 40 min drive into Universal. The area to drive into was well mapped out with many signs and finding the parking garage was very easy. Checking in wasn’t difficult but it was 11 at night from the delay so straight to bed we went.
Our first day we slept in a bit and then got on the boats which are individualized for each of the hotels in Universal. No long waits, the boats come to the dock rather quickly and we were to the park in a few minutes. We entered City Walk upon leaving the boats and headed straight to Islands of Adventure because Will wanted to hit the Jurassic Park section first. I went ahead and bought the express pass tickets which are worth every penny if you have children. I don’t think mine would have been able to stand in the long lines, some were 120 minute waits.
From there we explored the rest of the park with ease even though it was plenty crowed. Food was not on the cheap side but thankfully my kids are not big eaters yet so that wasn’t really an issue for us. But when they were ready for a snack it was easy to find something everyone would enjoy. Also purchasing one of the refillable drinks also cut down on spending money on the trip.
Piper rode the rides that Will wasn’t able to alone but always made lots of friends while doing it. The park was full of very friendly people and it was easy to get a rental stroller for Will so he didn’t have to walk the whole time. Pipers favorite ride was either The Incredible Hulk Rollercoaster or Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket. No fear in that one. Will loved the Transfomers ride and Jurassic park ride along with the Curious George and Jurassic park Discovery zones. We all enjoyed the Harry Potter areas where Piper got a wand and tried her hand at magic on the windows. We each a mug of butterbeer and loved walking thru the streets. Seeing the Dragon at the top of the bank was also a highlight of our trip.
As for the hotel we loved ours. The pool area had a slide and games for the kids every hour in the afternoon. Our pool included a beach area so Will and Piper could sit and build sandcastles while I got to relax with a fruit tray brought out by the staff. The food was excellent and the entire resort was very clean.
My tips for going to Universal:
- Stay at Universal, the boats make getting around so easy
- If you can afford the express pass, get it
- Rent a stroller- only 14 and so worth every penny
- Go to Chocolate emporium between the two parks, get a milkshake
- Breakfast at Voodoo donuts- so good
- Stay at Loews Sapphire resort if you want the beach- was so much fun
- You get to enter the park early if you stay at Universal properties, the earlier you go the less crowded-we would go in the morning, head back to the hotel for naps and pool time during the afternoon and dinner back at the parks and rides
- I did this by myself, a 6 year old and an 11 year old- if I can do it so can you, go out and make memories this year
