Using Time Wisely

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Maintaining: Preserving your Children’s Artwork

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Paper clutter can quickly overtake a space. Without constant attention, my kitchen counter will sport a mound of paperwork by the end of each day.

On top of the normal mail items, you probably have lots of school paperwork and artwork to handle. Though I enjoy all the lovely art projects brought home, I refuse to keep paper clutter.

The Dilemma

Realizing that my son worked hard on his projects and wants to display them, how do I find space for these items when they will be forgotten by the end of the week?

My Immediate Solution

Allow my son to display his beautiful artwork on our kitchen bar. The displayed artwork is visible and accessible for a few days.

My Permanent Solution

After a few days, I will ask my son if he still needs his artwork displayed. If he wants to keep it a little longer, he will ask. But if done with the project, he responds with, “Mom, you can do whatever you want with it.”

When I get the latter answer, I will take a picture of the item and then toss it in the trash. Yes, throw the item away because I have preserved the artwork via a photograph.

The picture solution is a win-win situation in our home. In using time wisely, our family can view the item at anytime without cluttering our living space.

By reaching a solution to one part of the paper trail, I can decrease clutter while preserving my children’s artwork. With my child’s consent, I throw away without guilt the bulky poster boards, irregular shaped foam boards, and sculptures because I have a photograph of his art projects.

By keeping the paper count from my children’s artwork low, I am free to work and play at home with a preserved photograph and without a sea of clutter.

Did I step on your toes? If you tend to hoard everything, then clutter will weigh you down. Rise above the clutter, take control, and only keep your favorites. You can create a beautiful organized space only after you get rid of the clutter. Choose wisely!

Question: How do you preserve your children’s artwork? Please add your answer to the comments.

Multitasking: Giving Attention and Folding Laundry

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As my children continue through this really long phase of “Watch me,” I find myself constantly distracted from my tasks at hand. Routine chores can take twice as long due to the number of interruptions and moments spent watching my children. Realizing that my children will not be young long, I try to multitask as often as possible.

This evening while timing my loads of laundry, I gave my older kids the attention they craved while folding clothes. With the timer set for ten minutes, my son began playing his Wii game while I watched him and folded the laundry. He enjoyed explaining his player’s moves and being the center of attention. When the timer sounded, my son was off to take his shower.

My daughter’s game was then setup, and she received the attention. Of course, she needed help, but she was focusing on her game and showing me how she was winning. At the end of the time limit, my kids had been given special attention, and my load of laundry was folded.

In using my time wisely, I was able to multitask by giving my kids the attention they desired while folding a load of laundry. Though I am always looking for ways to multitask, I do not always succeed.

My goal is to use my time wisely while spending time with my family and keeping our home running as smoothly as possible. Multitasking saves me time and energy. I just need to find the components that work for me. If you have mastered a chore by multitasking, please share your success in the comments.

Maintaining: Lawnmower

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Photograph Credit: MorgueFile (Pambenn)

My husband Paul keeps up our yard. I remember when our old lawnmower quit about 5 years ago, and we began shopping for a new one. After looking and researching the features needed to keep our property maintained, we purchased a push lawnmower from Wal-mart for around $175.

During the summer months, Paul mows the yard about once a week. With a little maintenance each spring and fall, our 5-year-old lawnmower operates correctly and cuts the grass in one pass.

I was reminded this morning, while watching my neighbor mow his yard, that routine maintenance on a lawnmower really helps to save time. With his lawnmower, my neighbor was making several passes before all the blades of grass were cut. Going over the same area numerous times was wasting his time.

Remember that routine maintenance will require investing time and money. You might need a Saturday morning to change the oil, fill up the gas, and sharpen the blades. But using your time wisely to maintain your lawnmower should save you money (for a new one), energy (numerous passes over one area) and time (one pass around the yard).

How has maintaining your lawn equipment saved you money, energy, and time?

Maintaining: Kitchen Cleanup – Part 3 of 3

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Photograph Credit: Free Range Stock (Adamophoto)

Keeping the kitchen clean is an on-going task. Having a routine in place after each meal helps to keep me organized. I go on auto-pilot as I complete the routine and end with clean surfaces and rinsed-off dishes.

The after-breakfast routine was covered in Part 1, with the after-lunch routine shared in Part 2, and today, I will complete this 3-part series with my after-dinner routine. By the end of the dinner routine, my goal is to have a clean kitchen which will await me at breakfast the next morning.

Dinner Routine:

  1. Clear off the table. My two older children ask to be excused and then take their dishes to the kitchen. I have a designated spot for their dirty dishes: on the counter by the sink. My children will then help clear off easy items while Paul and I clear off the rest of the table.
  2. Wipe down the table.
  3. Put away any leftover food.
  4. Rinse each dirty item and place it in the left-hand side of the sink.
  5. Unload the dishwasher. If the dishes are clean, then put away the clean dishes.
  6. Load the dishwasher. Add all the rinsed-off dirty dishes from the left-hand side of the sink into the dishwasher. If the dishwasher is full, then run the dishwasher.
  7. Clean all the countertops.
  8. Spray the kitchen sink and wipe it clean.

The routine is basically the same as my after lunch routine. Having similar routines keeps me on-task and helps me to use my time wisely. Though this routine works for me, it may not work for you. I share my routine to inspire you to find a system that meets your needs where you are. By finding a routine and sticking to it, you can arrive home or enter your kitchen without being met with a To-Do pile of dirty dishes. If you struggle with a messy kitchen, then try adjusting one part of your current routine until you find a system that helps you stay organized as you spend your time wisely. Wishing you time spent wisely creating a kitchen routine that fits your schedule.

Maintaining: Kitchen Cleanup – Part 2 of 3

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Photograph Credit: Free Range Stock (Adamophoto)

With the first week of summer complete, my kitchen has stayed relatively clean. This past week has been busy with mornings and afternoons away from home, but I have not felt overwhelmed.

Using time wisely to keep the kitchen cleaned up, laundry washed, and a general pickup of the house each day helps me stay organized. My house may not be perfectly clean, but it is picked up and organized.

Last week in Part 1 of this series, I shared my after breakfast routine for keeping my kitchen manageable. Today, I’ll share my after lunch routine which is slightly different from my after breakfast cleanup.

Lunch Routine:

  1. Clear off the table. My two older children ask to be excused and then take their dishes to the kitchen. I have a designated spot for their dirty dishes: on the counter by the sink. My children will then help clear off chips, dips, serving dishes, etc. I will then clear off the rest of the table.
  2. Wipe down the table.
  3. Put away any leftover food.
  4. Rinse each dirty item and place it in the left-hand side of the sink.
  5. Unload the dishwasher. If the dishes are clean, then I will put away the clean dishes.
  6. Load the dishwasher. Add all the rinsed-off dirty dishes from the left-hand side of the sink into the dishwasher. If the dishwasher is full, then run the dishwasher.
  7. Clean all the countertops.
  8. Spray the kitchen sink and wipe it clean.

At the conclusion of this routine, I have a clean table, countertops, and sink. Spending time cleaning after lunch saves me time and energy. My time is saved during the late afternoon from having to cleanup from breakfast and lunch. I am able to begin dinner preparations without working around a mess. My energy is also conserved since I don’t need to scrub off dried on food. For me, this system helps me to spend my time wisely and stay organized.

Though this routine works for me, it may not work for you. If you also work outside of your home or keep other children in your home, then this routine probably won’t work for you. I share my routine to inspire you to find a system that meets your needs where you are.

By finding a routine and sticking to it, you can arrive home or enter your kitchen without being met with a To-Do pile of dirty dishes. My routine did not develop in a day. By trial and error, I found a system that works for me. If you struggle with a messy kitchen, then start by adjusting one part of your current routine until you find a system that helps you stay organized as you spend your time wisely.

Come back next week for the final post in this series as I share my after dinner routine. In the meantime, I wish you an organized routine for keeping your kitchen cleaned up.