SuperNoVa Mom

Happy Friday! Wow, has this week been a whirlwind. Since launching my new blog I feel like so many doors have opened up and I’m making so many amazing bloggy friends. I just love it! I’ve also been really busy freelance writing. I have a new gig that I’m excited to share with you, but I’m waiting until it’s completely official before announcing it. So exciting!

I’ve been putting my Silhouette machine to good use this week. I’ll be sure to share my creations soon. I know I complained about a lack of space for crafting, but I’ve kind of made a makeshift work space out of our kitchen table. Yes, it’s totally a pain to pack everything up when I’m done, but I can actually have my Silhouette and my computer in one spot. I just use the chair to assemble my paper and mat. Not the best, but it works for me!

Before I continue rambling on, Maya Szydlowski from Veterans United is back with a great post about keeping your home clean and clutter-free without totally losing it. I struggle with this all.the.time. Now that we have the dog I feel like I’m vacuuming a million times a week. I hate cleaning but I try to make Fridays a vacuum day. Take it away Maya… while I go vacuum.

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Keep Your Home Clean This Year without Going Crazy

Many New Years’ resolutions deal with getting in shape, finishing that project that has been lingering for the past year, or even finding a better job. However, this year, I have had quite a few friends whose New Years’ resolution, while not out of the box, was to tidy their home sand remove excess clutter.

I thought to myself, what a great resolution! This resolution has all the best attributes of any goal; it is timely, attainable ,realistic, and will enhance the overall feel of their homes.

The problem is, as with most resolutions, they are abandoned after only a few days to weeks of trying. So if you are like my friends and want to declutter your home, here are some great tips to get the job done!

Baby Steps

Most of us remember the hilarious Bill Murray film from 1991, “What About Bob?” In the movie, Bill Murray plays a fun-loving, good-natured, phobia-stricken man who receives a book from his psychiatrist on getting past phobias by taking baby steps. Well resolutions are no different.

Most of us don’t have the time or the attention span to clean every room in our home or apartment, so it is best to start small. Start by devoting ten minutes a day to tackling your mountains of clutter. While ten minutes seem small, it’s a start. The next week move up to 15 minutes, then 20 minutes, and so on. Before you know it, you’ll be a decluttering machine!

Clothes, the Achilles Heel

For many of us, clothing is our Achilles heel. We’ll be going through our closets with the sole intention of removing items, but then find a shirt or jacket that would go great with that pair of shoes you saw at the mall. Next thing you know, the closet grows.

Sometimes, having a helper is your best option when emptying the closet. A friend or significant other is usually good at telling the truth when it comes to how you look and will prove very useful when you are thinking about wearing your 1980’s Thriller jacket again.

When you get your closet cleaned out, take the clothes to Goodwill, or list them on a social site like Freecycle.org, which connect you to people who are in need of good clothes.

Organize, Organize, Organize

Organization is where many of us slip up. We all receive tons of junk mail and decide to leave it out and clutter up countertops, kitchen tables, coffee tables, or anywhere other than the garbage. Start by making a system to keep things organized. Designate trays for your papers, such as bills, letters, magazines, receipts, warranties, and be sure to file junk mail where it belongs, in the trash.

Organization is a skill that has to be learned, so here are a few other tips to get your house organized:

· Visualize how you want your house to look

· Create a goals list for the month

· Teach your children how to put things away, and make a game out of it!

· Designate a junk shelf

· Schedule a decluttering weekend with the family

· Learn to love your home when it is clean!

Decluttering your home takes time so if you have a large amount of space to clean, slow down and be sure to not get burned out.

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These are great ideas! I’ve been following the fantastic blog I Heart Organizing and Jen has some great ideas on how to cut clutter. Just the other night I grabbed ALL the piles of mail and paper that have been just hanging out all over my countertops and I filed them away. It took a good hour or so (since they have been there for months) but I just watched American Idol and went on my merry way. If I can do it, you can do it! Make it pretty and then it’s easy.

You can find these at Target!

How do you declutter?

Have a great weekend!