First of all, I am so glad to know I am not alone in my car-tastrophe situation. I got a few suggestions, most of which I've already tried, but I always appreciate feedback (as long as they aren't given in a judgmental way, of course!) I was so happy to hear that there are so many of us in the same boat, no matter how many children we have.
I cleaned out the car again, but this time, I made use of more bags in a hope to keep myself more organized. I recently bought a 31 utility tote, figuring I'd use it for the pool in the summer, but I set it up in my trunk now instead. So when I go to the library, Target, BJs, etc, I can put the bag I get from that store into the big bag. Then I can just carry the whole bag in at once. Boom. I also took the other 31 bag I just purchased, which is smaller, and designated it as the "things that need to go places" bag. Rather than throw things like library books to go back, Target returns, etc, on my front seat, I put them in the bag.
Madison's seat (and next to it....and the floor beneath it)...well, I am just embracing the chaos for now. I did have several people suggest I keep her to water only in the car. I actually do that already - she gets one cup of juice in the morning and that stays in the house. And we learned our lesson about taking milk in the car a few weeks ago (though I'm still planning on ordering some Scentsy so I can keep packs in the car). The big two big Madison offenders are popcorn, which is a Target tradition and assures me good behavior for the trip, and DumDum lollipops - neither of which are going anywhere. I'm trying to convince her to keep her socks and shoes and coat and hat on in the car, which would alleviate a good portion of the clutter, but so far, that's not working.
Now, remember, I already clean out the car often. I've tried a few new things, but the real test will come in a few days, where I see if it lasts. Honestly, I just added "vacuum car" to my weekly chore schedule, and "clean out car" to my daily jobs.
Anyway, once I got my car looking nice, I made a dangerous decision. I decided to find the other places in my house that are victims of Groundhog's Day organizing...you know, the places where you feel like saying "I just cleaned that!".
In our house we've got way too many of those spots. Yesterday, when my car was in decent shape again, I was feeling pretty good about the state of things, and both girls were napping. I decided I'd make a quick list of other places I'd like to tackle in the next week or so....you know, after I've done the daily laundry and whatever the chore of the day is...and the daily stuff.
Not really sure what I was thinking here...it's not like I have ever spent a nap time relaxing and wishing I had more to do. More often I'm racing against the clock to see if I can squeeze everything into what seems like a very short block of time.
Here's the list of places that need attention:
- Pantry
- Tupperware
- Junk drawer (is this every "really" clean?)
- Cooking tools drawer
- Freezer
- Laundry closet
- Under bathroom sink
- Linen closet
- Basement food
Remember, if you read my Circle of Moms article, you know I'm not super crafty. My finished projects are usually a hot mess and take triple the time I expect them to. So if I need a stand or bin or container, I'll be heading out to purchase what I need.
Man, resolutions, organizing...I'm on a roll this January, at least in theory. Anyone want to join me in this organizing challenge with their own list of special places that attract the clutter?
