Keeping an Organized Home

Back in pre-twin January, I wrote an entry called I Accept This Mess, and even though I have accepted the mess that my home has become, I don't have to be happy about it. So, in attempt to kick myself in the butt and try to make my home a little more organized and clean, I've decided to blog about it first. Maybe by putting it out there in the Internet universe, somehow I will actually make it all happen.

The biggest question of all is, how do you clean when you're taking care of two four-month old girls who don't especially like to take naps? The answer: a little bit at a time.

At first, I found myself completely overwhelmed by cleaning bottles, loading the dishwasher, vacuuming, laundry, sorting mail, dusting, etc. I would clean bottles as I needed them sometimes, or let the recycling pile up until there was a row of cardboard spilling over into the dining room. Now, I try doing mini-cleans when I can. I'll empty the dishwasher or take out the recycling while the bottles are warming. I'll wash bottles early in the morning if I'm not feeling deliriously tired. I'll do small loads of laundry while entertaining the girls with silly laundry dances. (I have a silly dance for everything.) You get the idea. It's amazing how much better I feel when the carpet is fur free, or I can actually see my kitchen table instead of a mound of junk mail and (oh, this is horrible) unpaid medical bills!

 Excuse me while I drool a little bit over this pantry from Real Simple Magazine.

One of these days, I really am going to send the family away and take a day to super clean. I even have a list: clean all sinks, mop, dust, clean mirrors, organize closets and pantry, clean out the refrigerator, unpack summer clothes, store winter clothes, and vacuum. What would make it all perfect? An unlimited shopping spree to Bed, Bath & Beyond, The Container Store, or my new mecca so I could be the envy of all organizational moms out there.

What would I buy there? 

First, a wall-mounted mail organizer. My biggest pet peeve right now is the mail. I go get it; I glance at it, and then I throw it on the table, on the bar stool, on the loveseat. I would do a better job if there was a place for it, and I sorted it once a week. (Daily would be ideal, but I don't live ideally.)

Then, decorative boxes/cubbies for the coat closet and laundry room. I'm a person who believes everything should have a place. If I created places for tools, batteries, lint brushes, tape, etc., then things around the house would be easier to find and cleanly out of sight.

Hooks, hooks, and more hooks. Think about how much neater you would be if you had a couple of hooks in every room of your house. I'm serious.

Simple shelves. Adding shelves in the laundry room and the master bathroom would allow for better use of vertical space. With kids, you've got to think about places to put everything.

So many food storage containers, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. Nothing would stay in its original box again!

Oooh, Makeover

Just wanted to show off the blog's new look. Isn't it snazzy?

Also, I would like some topic suggestions. I'm definitely going to do one on cleaning products, but what else would be interesting? Let me know!

Bowls, spoons, cereal, oh my!

Lillie and Dani will be four months old on Monday. That means that in the next month or so, they will probably be starting on their first solid foods. That also means that I will be starting my research right about...now.

I already know that I'll be getting the Ikea ANTILOP high chair for when they're sitting up on their own, but I'm in search of--I bet you can guess--good bowls, spoons, and cereal for my growing twins.

I've already got my eye on a few things, and I'd love to know what other moms think, so throw your two cents my way.

First off, I know I'll need spoons. I want soft ones that are pretty shallow since the cereal will be mostly formula at first. I'd like to keep the handle long since I've got two grabby girls, and I personally would like to keep feeding time as neat as I possibly can. (Don't worry, I'm not delusional; I know it will be messy.)

The Nuk soft bite spoons seem like a good buy. I also like the Munchkin safety tip spoons. (I should admit that I pretty much like all things from Munchkin.) I also already have this cool dispenser spoon from Boon (thank you Rachael & Sean) that I'm dying to try out. If that works, then I'll buy a few and won't need nearly as many bowls.


On the food side, I'm leaning towards Happy Baby cereal. I've never been one way or the other on organic food, but I like that I can pronounce all the ingredients, they have probiotics and the price is right for us. Oh, and the fact that it comes in a canister instead of a box is a big bonus. I'm definitely not turning my nose up at Gerber, so I'll be trying their cereal out as well.

I have no idea what kind of bowls I'm supposed to get. Is there a special bowl for babies just starting out? I definitely like the idea of something with a suction cup bottom so that the girls (nor me) knock it over accidentally. I saw this snazzy little thing online, but I don't know if it's really worth buying or if a normal bowl will work just as well.

As I said, throw in your two cents or your dollar fifty. I always like to get feedback!