Blog Posts - Ocd mum & organiser

Kids dress ups......

12/11/2016

After having two weeks off, I feel better but exhausted.
After Halloween I noticed the kids dress ups were over flowing and if I was going to add to them, then I needed to cull some.
I love that I have kids young enough to dress up and we also use the dress ups for book week.

I store them all in a large plastic storage container in the hallway cupboard, underneath the coats.
I find it easy for the kids to get out and pack away.

As I go through the dress ups, if anything is too small, it goes into salvos bag and if it's broken, bin it goes.

Coffee cups.....

22/10/2016

This week I thought I would do the coffee cups and cupboard.
We have a lot of coffee cups but don't get to use the all, so the ones at the top end up getting all dusty.

If you have been following me then you would know that we have so many cups, as my husband decided to collect a cup from every place we visited. And mother's and father's day stall.

This weekend is a good one to do this, doesn't take long but needs doing. And with everything on this weekend, I can get this done.

Having a dishwasher makes it so much easier, I just load all the cups and teapots into the dishwasher and put it on.
The cups that can't go in I wash and dry by hand.

As the dishwasher does it thing, I wipe all the shelves down.
Then replace all the cups and teapots.
If there are any that aren't usable out they go.

Bits and pieces week.....

7/10/2016

This week was the last of the school holidays. So I thought I would have do the jobs that I have been procrastinating about (yes, even I procrastinate)
I had been putting off one job, as it would lead to a much bigger task.

The first task I did, was put all our postcards in the frame that I bought a few weeks ago.
In reality it only took me 30 minutes......I put them in order of when the places were visited.
And there is room at the bottom to add a few more.

My second task was to go through a shopping bag that was chockers of kids craft. A wonderful friend had given it to me a few weeks back and I had just sat it in the corner of the craft room.
I finally went through the bag. As I went through the things, I would put them away with the kids craft that I already had.
If there was stuff that I didn't have, I just put it into the craft box.
So now the kids have even more stuff and can't complain that there isn't enough.

The third task was to put away the DVD's that we bought at the lifeline book fair last month. If you have been following me, you know that I have to write in my DVD book before putting them away.
As the collection grows, I will have to rethink how I am storing them.

Funeral Plan, Wills, Life Insurance.......

30/9/2016

It's not something we want to think about, but it's better to be prepared.
The amount of people that I have talked to and don't have anything in place is quite shocking.
Everyone always say what they hope to happen and just hope that the people left behind will know and do it.
Not that it is guaranteed that people will do it, but I am hoping that when the time comes it helps that person in their grief.

Funeral Plan
I have written out a funeral plan, hoping that it is followed through.
Mine is detailed, what else would you expect.
From the casket to if I want to be buried or cremated, what songs to play and poems to read.
What I would like to be buried in....
And also what I don't want.
It is worth visiting the local crematorium and funeral home, to get an idea of costs. Then you can see if your plan is realistic and if you need more savings.

Will
I have had a will since I was 18. Not that I had anything of real value.
But as I got older and had more kids, it just made sense.
I also keep the funeral plan with the will.
Even if you don't have a lot, having a say on where you would like the kids to reside. Or if you want someone to have a specific item, like jewellery.
Even if you would like things to be put in trust for the kids.
It is worth looking at every couple of years and seeing if it is still true.

Life Insurance
Its one of those things that you don't have to get, but it will make a difference to whoever is looking after my kids, or even my kids life.
With my life insurance I have a funeral cost, that they will pay a certain amount. Which isn't a lot but enough to have a send off.
It's also a good way of saying who can collect on your life insurance...but you can back it up by also having it written in the will.

Birthday party......

13/9/2016

This week I have been getting my youngest daughter's 6th birthday party ready.
My kids don't have a birthday every year with friends.
We normally go out as a family and have dinner.
But on their 5th/6th (preschool year), 10th, 15th and 18th they have a choice of having a party with friends and where and theme.

So she has decided to have a priness party at home.
I have been stocking up on things over the last month. Mainly from KMART, how I love it there, I did start last month, as if you don't get things when you see them they might not be there next time you go.
I store all the items in a spare bag, that sits up the very top of the WIR on my husbands side, I can just reach it.

I sit down with a piece of paper and write down what food I want to eat & games I want to play.
Then as I buy stuff I write it down, so I know what I have and I don't double up.
Party food is just going to be the usual, sausage rolls, meat pies, triangles, mini hot dogs, hundreds & thousands biscuits, punch, water, fruit platter. And just a cob loaf dip for the adults.

Having a princess party is easy, I did buy girl and boy things and then unisex.
Games are musical cushions, with a prize of a frozen mirror.
Pass the parcel, prize is pink kinetic sand. with a small wand in between layers.
Put the jewellery on the princess, prize is bead making set.
Pinata, with lollies, which also means I don't have to put a lolly bag together.
Musical statues, with pink goo as a prize.

Of course all decorations are princess related, I did get the boys a blue hat to wear. At kmart they had party packs with plates, cups, napkins and loot bags.
Princess hanging, happy birthday bunting (with crowns on either end)

I do the food shop the day before, so all the fruit is fresh. And also check that we have everything, especially toilet paper!!!!

prize's

decorations, hats etc

take home gifts

piñata lollies

all stored in bag

love this pinata

I love having a theme, just makes it easier.
Over the years I have done monster high, Halloween, at a pool, at a play centre, karaoke......
For the gifts to take home I always have something different, instead of just crap toys & lollies.
Examples are, pencil cases (in theme) filled with the piñata lollies, lip gloss, crazy string.
make up in a small bag (if it's all girl's) or put in cameo for boys.
toy cars, swords, puzzles, books, finger puppets, play dough, kinetic sand, small Lego boxes....the list is endless, as long as you think outside the box.

Dress ups for me......

13/9/2016

Yes I dress up.... for fun. And not the bedroom kind....hahahaha

I have dress ups for Australia Day, Color Run, Miss muddy, Red Wig Run/Walk, Superwoman, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and have some extra's for parties or just because.
I do enjoy putting on something different and having fun.....

I used to keep them in a drawer or in the hall cupboard, just above the kids dress ups.
But my little collection just kept growing slowly.
I noticed when I cleaned up my handbag's that there was heaps of room, so I thought why not put my dress up's in there.
Then they are closer when I need to use them and they are in an easier place for the kids to find.

I store them in shopping bags or extra handbags. that I don't use.
And they are colour co-ordinated.
Australia day in blue shopping bag. Red wig in pink/orange handbag. color run, miss muddy and extra in blue/green handbag.

My tutu's, which I wear when dressing up, hang up in my wardrobe at one end. With the superwoman, Christmas & boxing day shirts.

Australia Day

color run

Red wig

tutu's & shirts

The bags at one end of the box.

Shadowbox memories.....

24/8/2016

I first saw this idea on Pinterest and feel in love with the idea.
I did find a shadow box that had a hole up the top, but didn't buy it. And then I couldn't remember where it was.....And I looked everywhere.

So I went to Kmart and brought a shadowbox frame, this one had two strings across with pegs hanging off it.

I then got out my big memory box from under the house. And sat out on my serenity place and went through and picked what I wanted to put in.
It was great as I could resort my memory box and think if I really wanted to keep certain things.
I ended up putting all birthday cards together from birth through to now.
And I didn't realise how many postcards I had collected, will be doing something with them later.

I found it easy to decide what was to go in the shadowbox......did I really need 5 tickets to the same football game????
I did want things like my name badge from KFC and badges from year 6 excursion....

And I wanted people to be able to see what is in there and to be able to add more things.

Outside.....

17/8/2016

The outside is usually left up to my husband to look after.
But the weather was so nice, once it warmed up.
We have chickens and need the backyard to be kept neat, plus they love walking round the backyard.
And I also wanted to add in a couple of new areas, one being my sanctuary.
So while I was out there I had a quick clean up.

We are so lucky that our yard is quite big and we have an area up one side of the house, years ago we put down fake grass and that's where we store the toys.
All the scooters and bikes are stood up against the house.
We have an old clam shell that stores all the balls and outdoor play toys.
There is also a roller coaster up next to the fence.

At the other side of the house, we have the cubby house.
There is not a lot in there, just the blackboard chalk, dolls house and the play crockery.

So this day I set up the two new areas, my sanctuary and the kids eating area.
After I set up the kids eating area, I had a spare box to put the rubbish in.
I just walked around and put the toys where they should live and anything that was broken or just needed to be thrown out went into the box.
Which I will take to the tip on the weekend (with other things)

My sanctuary is still not finished, but it is slowly getting there.
I picked up the outdoor rug from Kmart and used tent pegs to hold it in the ground.
The kids set I got from reject shop, I first saw these down the coast and have been keeping my eyes out for these. So I was over joyed when I spotted them in my local reject shop.

Notes from school & other paperwork......

12/8/2016

At the front door I have a little table that I use for all the school notes and other bits of paperwork that I need to do something with.
I used to keep It all together with an letter holder and in piles.
But with one in high school, two in primary and one in preschool, that's a shit load of paperwork.

I have noticed that it has been getting out of control and a pain to try and clean around it.

The other day I was in Target and noticed these drawers, plus they looked cool.
I can also put labels on the front as well
So I brought one. So awesome.....It has 5 drawers and fits it all in.
Each drawer has a purpose:
1. Vouchers
2. Pre school / Primary school
3, High school
4. Charity things
5. My things, colouring books and pencils

The black tins have the pencils, ruler, pen and sticky tape in it, in one.
The other I am trying to get the teenager to put her locker keys in, so she isn't searching for them in the morning.
The red letter holder is going to be my new holder for burning papers, it isn't that big and will be able to keep this to a minimum.

my paperwork before

and after...a lot neater

Even though I am I very organised person, I am still looking or changing the way I do things.
Sometimes it's because it works while the kids are a certain age, or I find something like the drawers and go lightbulb moment.

Kitchen drawers......

2/8/2016

It has been just over 6 months since the kitchen got redone and since I last went through the drawers....
But where the drawers are is where the coffee station is, they do tend to get crap in them.

Having a dishwasher makes this so much easier....I start at the top and work my way down....
I go through each drawer and what I am going to keep, I put in the dishwasher.
What I don't keep goes into a bag ready for Salvo's. Or the school fete (if they take it)

When I have gone through all the drawers, I put the dishwasher on and while that is doing it's job. I wipe out all the drawers, ready to put it all back in.
I also put the cutlery holder and the other holders into the dishwasher as well.

my non plastic drawer

my plastics drawer

The way I have my drawers are: top drawer all cutlery, second drawer is non plastics, third drawer plastic, last drawer holds our ice cube, ice block makers and extra lids from drink bottles
Years ago I bought some plastic holders from Howards storage, they are awesome. I am able to put the smaller stuff in them and I don't have to search the whole drawer.

found two items that I don't use. the round ones actually go with the pie maker I gave away.