Tips for Spring Cleaning and Organizing

I feel like I should tell you that I'm a total type-A, list-making, everything in its place kind of girl; but I'm also a recovering perfectionist. Life is just too short. I do believe that organization, cleanliness and beauty are essential in creating the type of home that I dream about creating for myself and my family, but I've certainly pushed the boundaries of unhealthy expectations and routines in order to do so. Mostly it just made me miserable. And probably everyone around me too. Today I'm linking up with Shay and Erika about tips and tricks for cleaning and organizing- I love new ideas! Can't wait to read them all!

Here's another confession for you: if, at any time, I do not have a full and unopened package of toilet paper (12 rolls or more) in our bathroom closet, I freak out a little bit. Same goes with eggs in the fridge. If there aren't always at least two dozen, I start to twitch. I don't know when this started, but you know what, if that's the extent of my crazy, then I think I can handle it. :)

JUST SAY NO

I am fairly ruthless about tossing unnecessary items, as well as not bringing home things that I don't truly want or need. (Just don't mess with my TP or eggs...ha ha, that sounds awful!) It hasn't always been this way, but I'm glad I've learned to pass up things that catch my eye temporarily but that I would just tire of in the long run. I'm not a minimalist, but I've adopted some minimalist-type mentality, and both our home and bank account have never been happier, ha ha. So my biggest organizing tip is this: be very selective about what you bring into your home in the first place.

It seems like forever ago since I wrote this organizing post while in our previous home!

It ALWAYS gets worse before it gets better, right??

STOCK UP, BUT NOT LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT

I know lots of people rely on buying items in bulk and they say it works great for them. Well it doesn't for me. I don't need a warehouse-sized supply of spices and paper towels and hand soaps and detergent; in fact, that much excess of anything makes me a little nauseous. I keep 1-2 extras on hand, and I purchase replacements as necessary throughout the year.

STORE LIKE ITEMS TOGETHER

In the bathroom, we have a few plastic containers on the shelves that are dedicated to specific purposes: dental, medical (cough/flu, upset stomach), a second medical (band-aids, ointments), and summer things such as ear plugs, swimmers ear drops. Having them in clear bins makes it so easy to see what's there, and what needs replacing. It also makes it a snap to simply pull the needed container from the shelf, grab what we need, and put it all back. I love that! I tend to group like items in boxes and bins in other closets and storage areas as well, from winter hats and mittens to cleaning supplies and small tools, and everything in between.

(This is old, and I use larger bins now, but you get the idea.)

Lastly, while I love the idea of Spring and Fall cleaning, and I used to dedicate huge amounts of time tackling a never-ending list, I've become much more comfortable with the idea of an ongoing cleaning schedule. I think it's a preference thing, but this works so much better for me in this stage of life. I really do not need one more thing making me feel overwhelmed! I tackle jobs around the house- and delegate help too, that's super important with older kiddos!- on a monthly basis and that keeps this ship running pretty smoothly.

Life isn't perfect, and neither is my house. That's okay. When we have the things we need, and our space is clean and comfortable- not perfect- then I feel content.

Here is another post about organization I wrote a while back with lots of tips and tricks. Thanks for reading! I'll be back tomorrow with all the details about Levi's Cars, Trucks & Tractors 2nd Birthday Party!

How to Get a Bird Out of a Garage (Without Ladders, Nets or Trauma)

It's no secret that I adore animals of all kinds, and that love certainly includes songbirds. This weekend, two sparrows got trapped in our garage, and if you've ever witnessed this, it's just horrible. They become so dazed and disoriented - and upset- that they simply cannot manage to get themselves back out the door or window to freedom. It happened once at our old house, and it was an all-day effort involving ladders, nets, and lots of trauma (the bird's too, ha!), but everything we read online recommended the same thing: try to capture the bird one way or another in order to release it back outside.

There's a much better way! 

The first thing to try is opening up all the doors which lead to the outside. It probably won't work, but if the bird hasn't gotten confused and upset yet, it just might. We actually thought this had worked for us, but lo and behold, the next morning when I walked out into the garage, there she was, flitting from one rafter to the next. She would swoop down in fits, soooo close to the open door, but then she'd dart right back up to the rafters, more traumatized than ever.

Birds, like this sweet chickadee, are much better suited for the backyard than for the inside of a garage.

Time for Plan B: Fill a large bowl with water to simulate a bird bath, and place it directly in front of an open door. I put some peanut butter and nuts in a smaller bowl beside the water (because I don't have birdseed yet) to further entice it to the open door. I've read that birds are attracted to the sound of moving water so I spent a few minutes gently splashing the water around inside the bowl- I flicked some onto the garage floor as well, thinking perhaps that it might get her attention faster. Then I went back inside to let her try to figure it out.

I peeked a few minutes later, and she was perched on the side of the bowl, but the darn door squeaked and startled her, so up to the rafter she went. Ten minutes after that, we checked again, and there was no sign of her in the garage. She must have realized that the great outdoors was right there, and thankfully, she flew outside. This was a much better solution than trying to capture the bird to set it free!

As I was about to empty the bowl, this beautiful image caught my attention: nature's mirror

This bird house - built by one of my sons and his grandfather - is a much better, safer place!

linking up here
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