Paper clutter is my biggest downfall…. I need to get better at filing immediately instead of waiting for a better time.

Can I just admit to a complete de-clutter FAIL this month? Exactly four things left my home and some of them were things I was returning: a piano music stand, homeschool curriculum I mailed to a friend, and shoes and a phone charger I borrowed from my sister- in-law.

I still have the same two boxes sitting in my basement waiting to go to Goodwill plus an additional bag in my bedroom. I could blame it on the snow, or being out of town, my husband’s knee surgery, the company we had last week, or lack of time. But as my pastor once said, lack of time is lack of desire.

Next week, four of my blogging turned real life friends will be coming for a visit, and I don’t want them to know about my yet to be dropped off at Goodwill boxes. So getting these boxes out of the house is now a priority!

The biggest problem with my clutter is that it is hidden. If you walked into my home you would think it was very clean and organized. I do a good job of organizing my clutter. But there are pockets of junk that need to be attacked and defeated in my home. The top drawer of my dresser, the tupperware cabinet, the school supply bin, and more. I find that I waste time and money when things are not in order. I tend to buy duplicates (things like printer ink when I can’t find the spare cartridges) or we waste time looking for things. One child who will not be named has spent over 30 minutes looking for a pencil with an eraser. Is that because we don’t have any…. no, it is because they aren’t put away correctly and we are unable to find them.

It is my goal in March to have the kids help me with all the clutter busting. If they have to spend time cleaning out, they will probably be more likely to keep it neat and organized once it is finished.

January Total: 23
February Total: 4
Total so far: 27

What left your house this month? What are your problem areas?

Visit Amy’s Finer Things for more 730/365 Challenge.

I am excited to be partnering with Mandi from Organizing Your Way on her 31 Days of Organizing for a Better 2010. Mandi asked if I would be willing to write about taking your blog to the next level, and since I love to talk about blogging I quickly agreed.

There are many reasons to create a plan for taking your blog to the next level in 2010.

1. Interested in developing online support groups or friendships. If you are the only homeschooler, wheat grinder, Republican, Democrat, or scrapbooker in your local area, creating a blog to promote and discuss your ideas is a great way to connect with like-minded people.

2. Journaling for your children or family members who live in another part of the country or world. A blog can serve as a continuous online letter for loved ones.

3. Creative outlet for writing or photography. Many aspiring writers and photographers start blogs to practice and improve their skills.

4. A blog can be a gateway to a home business. Graphic designers, photographers, organizers, cooks, and crafters can use their blog to help promote their business.

5. Help promote a cause or a ministry. Compassion International is sponsoring several bloggers on a trip to Africa next month. My sister-in-law has used her blog to encourage people to read the Bible in 90 Days.

6. Earn a part-time or full time income. I know several bloggers who have successfully turned their blogs into a business and are able to help support their families through blogging.

While people blog for a variety of reasons, if no one is reading your blog it is hard to achieve the goals I mentioned above. Here are a few things I did to help grow my blog in 2009.

• Consistent posting. Whether you post once a week or once a day, readers like consistency. If you are a once a week blogger, own it! Some of my favorite bloggers post only a handful of times a month. I look forward to each and every post.
• Relevant content. While I completely believe you need to be true to yourself, you also need to consider your readers. If people love your recipes consider posting an extra recipe or two each week. If they love your home decorating posts or coupon match-ups, try to make those posts a priority.
• Easy to read content. Use the enter key! Long paragraphs, centered text, poor spelling and punctuation make posts harder to read. Always preview your post before you publish. If it is hard for you to read, it will most likely be hard for everyone else to read too.
• Learn a little bit of SEO. I am not suggesting that everyone needs to be an expert, but basic knowledge of how to use keywords, tags, permalinks, anchor text, etc… can put your blog on the first page of the SERP’s.
• Partner with other bloggers. Teaming up with other bloggers on series, challenges or special projects can significantly increase your readers and subscribers.
• Guest post on other blogs. A well written guest post on a popular blog might be your big blogging break. Just remember, make your guest post your best post!
• Become active on social networking sites. By far the biggest boost for me was when I starting using Twitter. Most of the awesome giveaways I have hosted on this site came from connections I made on Twitter that grew into something more.
• Love what you do. I love blogging. I feel blessed by all the friends I have made over the past few years and really do look forward to every comment, email, tweet, and message I receive. If I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t do it.

Don’t forget to visit Organizing Your Way, as Mandi shares some of her tips on how to take your blog to the next level in 2010.

Living a disorganized life not only costs you time, it costs you money. When your life and home are disorganized and cluttered you tend to waste money on many of the following things:

• Late fees because bills are misplaced.
• Buying the same thing twice, because you couldn’t find the original item or you don’t know you already have it.
• Purchasing clothes you don’t need, because hand-me-downs are not properly stored and organized.
• Broken items because they are not properly stored.
• Expired food items that get lost in your fridge or pantry.

I know I am guilty of all of these things and many more. Over the years I realized that being organized is something that really does save my family money. Moving five times in the past five years has driven home the fact that less is more. I am happier, more energetic, and a better saver when my “stuff” is kept to a minimum.

This year (Lord willing) we are staying put. That means I have 365 days to de-clutter, de-junk, and create spaces for everything in my home. I thought about creating a system to get organized, but decided just to spend 15 to 30 minutes each day tackling my house from top to bottom. No system, or at least no system yet…

To help hold me accountable I have decided to join Amy’s 730 in 365 challenge. Over the next year I will get rid of (donate, toss, or sell) 730 items from my home.

I have already started and it feels good! Each month I will post my total and some before and after pictures. I got a head start last weekend and knocked out my master bedroom closet. This closet has been a mess since we moved in, very low priority since it isn’t a public space, but that isn’t an excuse. It needs to be organized! I found many items to giveaway and to toss during my closet clean-out.

After the clean out I realized I only own a few long sleeved shirts. Considering I live in an area where you can wear long sleeves 8 months out of the year, I might want to make a trip to the thrift store soon!

So, will join me on this journey to de-clutter so we can all get organized be good stewards of what we already own? I promise you’ll be happier and probably save a bit of money over the next year! Many times saving money means sacrificing wants and even needs. But getting organized only costs you your time! You have junk to lose and money, time, and happiness to gain!

What are you tackling first?

Visit Frugal Friday for more frugal tips and ideas.

It never occurred to me when I started blogging to have goals. I started my blog as a way to share all the ideas, tips, and recipes I had learned over the years from friends and family to anyone who might possibly be interested. Two years later, I realize that I need to prioritize my blog, just like I prioritize my life. My computer time is limited and I need to focus on getting things done during this time. There are so many distractions that it is easy to get online and spend fifteen minutes accomplishing nothing! This year’s theme for my blogging: Finding a Balance.

• Create a blogging schedule. As I mentioned above, blogging can take over your life, with Twitter, Facebook, Skype, email, gmail, and who knows what else, I need to set a computer schedule and stick to it!
• Prioritize what I blog about. I am a bit surprised that after 2 years I haven’t run out of things to say. The problem lies in discerning what will serve you, my readers. I don’t want to post things that will not benefit you or at least make you laugh at me. Even if it means less posts, I prefer quality over quantity.
• Take 24 hour computer breaks. Shut off the computer for a 24 hour period each week. Since I do everything on the computer, from banking to blogging, this will be hard. But I always feel better when I am able to unplug for  awhile.
• No computer until school time is finished. I have a habit of checking my email during breakfast, or hopping on during lunch and inevitably there is a crisis, that must be solved right this minute! Or at least that is how it seems. I need to accept the fact that the world will not end if am not available to everyone in cyberspace 24 hours a day.
• Improve interaction between myself and my readers. I installed this nifty little plug-in that allows people to respond to comments. It is a great way to encourage conversation between everyone, including me! In 2010, I want to do a better job of answering all those questions in the comment section.
• Catch up on my email. I currently have 2717 unread messages in my inbox. If you have emailed me lately, I am sorry for not responding. I hope to clear out my inbox this month and do a better job of staying on top of things.
• Organize my recipes. Do you know how many recipes I have on this site? Neither do I. Many of them are buried in posts about things that have nothing to do with food. My goal this year is to make my recipes easy to find.
• Collaborate with other bloggers on projects. It has always been my belief that there is strength in numbers and working with other bloggers on different projects brings a fresh perspective and a variety of readers. I have a few projects up my sleeve already that I can’t wait to share with you.
• Newsletter and Radio Show. I am super excited to have teamed up with two of my favorite bloggers, look for more information in a few weeks.
• Grow my BlogFrog Community. I love my little community, it has been really fun over the past few months to interact more with readers. I hope this form of reader interaction continues to grow in 2010.
• A Picture in Every Post: I love posts with pictures. This year I plan to have an image in every post.
• More DIY posts: I love DIY projects and committing to blog about it might motivate me to get more of my half finished projects done around here.
• More Video Tutorials: These seem to be very popular and even though I hate watching myself on video, many people (including me) learn by watching others.
• More sewing/ craft tutorials: I am a crafter at heart, but got way off track this year with Cora. I like easy projects that even a person with little or no sewing experience can make and I hope to share those projects with you.

You can read more blogging goals and link up your own on the Savvy Blogging 2010 Blogging Goals link-up.

It is time to share your 2010 Goals. I divided my goals into categories to help me prioritize better, but the important thing is that your plan works for YOU!

Link up with your 2010 Goals post and remember to link back to this site so others can participate. If you don’t have a blog, you can leave a few of your 2010 goals in the comment section.

Have a great New Year!

Resolutions are for the birds. I prefer goals. A goal gives you something to work towards, and something to check off when you achieve it. I prefer to set goals in each area of my life. For me, it makes them seem less daunting and more attainable. It also helps me to prioritize in my own life. Spiritual goals are a higher priority than personal goals, and homemaking goals are more important than blogging goals. By breaking my goals down into categories I focus on what is most important first and go from there.

Spiritual:

• Read through the Bible in 90 Days, starting January 1^st.
• Make a better effort to attend the Mom’s meetings at church.
• After completing the Bible in 90 Days, read through one book a month. (Recommended by either my husband, pastor, care group leader, or friend)
• Write in my Bible. This is huge deal for me, as I have had trouble marking in any book.

Personal:

• Read one fun book a month.
• Wii Fit 4 times a week.
• Remember to take my SuperMom vitamins. (Once again, something I can NEVER remember to do!)
• Wake up before Cora.
• Convince Cora to sleep in.
• Plan our yearly trips in January and budget accordingly.
• Sew one day a week.

School:

• Finish formal schooling by 2:30 pm each day.
• Incorporate more hands on projects with the younger two kids.
• Preschool with Trouble 3 times a week.
• Find a better system for record keeping.
• Attend Apologia Conference.
• Attend HEAV Conference.

Homemaking:

• Deep clean and organize one room a month in my house.
• Purchase and use the Motivated Moms’ Planner.
• Create a home management binder.
• Update phone contacts and address book and transfer information to the computer.
• Find a different coupon organization system.
• Begin a food storage program by stockpiling.

Financial:

• Buy a house. Inspired by Crystal, I hope to have the same sort of intensity she had while saving for her home.
• Finish the Love Drawer. (Post coming soon)
• Change monthly budget meetings to weekly budget meetings.
• Reread The Complete Tightwad Gazette and The Millionaire Next Door
  .

Blogging:

• Coming Soon

Write your goals pencil, because it is okay and sometimes a good thing to modify and tweak your goals throughout the year. People change and circumstances change, be flexible!

Link up with your 2010 goals on my 2010 Goals link-up.

You can also link up at 5MFM and Beautiful Calling.

What parent doesn’t want help with the housework? Kids rooms, especially, are one of the banes of a happy household. They get messy faster than you can say, “How was your day?” Sure, you can shut the door on the messes, but you know they’re still there.

Rather than curse or cajole, set your children up for success by putting systems in place that help them keep their domains under control. Here are some easy hacks to put into place:

1. A comforter is much easier to smoothe on the bed than layers of sheets and blankets. Putting a washable comforter cover on their bedspread makes for easy making in the morning.
2. Place a row of hooks by the bedroom door for bath towels, coats, back packs. Hooks are easier for little ones than towel racks. When placed at their level, it makes it a snap for them to use. No more junk on the floor!
3. Make it easy for kids to put away their clothes. Too many clothes make for crowded drawers and closets, which, frankly, just equals a mess. Reduce the number of garments in your child’s wardrobe; 5 shirts and bottoms are a good starting point. Adjust for personality and your laundry schedule. But, fewer items that go in the drawer or closet make it much easier for kids to hit the target.
4. Make wastebaskets available in each bedroom and encourage kids to use them daily and to empty them weekly or when full, whichever comes first.
5. Find that your children are a little sentimental and that their “keepsakes” are overflowing from every nook and cranny? Give each child a clear plastic box (you determine the size) in which to house their precious possessions. When the box is too full to close the lid, it’s time to downsize. Work together to sift through the unwanted items so that what is kept is really a keepsake.

I love hand-me-downs. I have a few children who have been clothed entirely in hand-me-down cloths their whole life. But, clothes storage takes up space, and not organized properly they become more trouble than they are worth.

It is also discouraging to discover clothes packed away that your kids have now outgrown.

My method for organizing clothes is very simple. I buy large plastic totes. I look for sales and almost always buy ones that are clear. I organize the clothes by size and season. Then I label the box with the season and year I will need the clothes.

My totes are then stored and each season I check to see if we have any clothes in totes before we start shopping.

Packing away our latest batch of hand-me-downs. Should probably fit our 5 year old next year.

Trying on clothes is always great fun for the girls.

I was able to organize a lot of clothes yesterday. We also did a huge pitch in our garage last weekend, but silly me completely spaced on the picture taking part.

If you have been pitching lately, please link up with your Itch to Pitch. If you have any clothes storage posts you can dig them out of your archives and link those up too, just make sure you label the link “pitch” or “clothes storage” and link back to this site so more bloggers can join the fun!

If you don’t have a blog, or don’t want to link up, feel free to leave your clothing storage tips in the comments.

No, I am not pitching my little sister, and no, even as a child I never wanted to pitch her! She and I are five years apart in age, which seemed to be just enough of an age gap to keep us from fighting much as children. That being said, I was the neat kid and she was the not so neat kid, but we have a brother and he was the super messy kid, so her mess never seemed that bad growing up.

My sister as graciously offered to share pictures of her junk this week, since I am still in the unpacking stage of things. Below are before and after pictures of her guest room/ office. One thing I noticed when uploading her pictures was the enormous amount of paper clutter in the office. I struggle with paper clutter as well, it seems to multiply if you don’t take care of it immediately. Do you have any suggestions for dealing with paper clutter?

Before

After

Now it is time to link up. I have switched from Mr. Linky to MckLinky, but it works the same. Link up your actual post not your blog’s home page. Next to your name, write a brief description about what you pitched, for example: The Happy Housewife (My Little Sister). Finally visit the other bloggers who link up and give them some comment love.

We have officially moved into our new house and I must say I am overwhelmed at the amount of stuff. Even though I have been faithfully pitching for over  a month, I cannot believe how much junk was behind furniture, under beds, and left behind once all the big items were moved out of the house.

I would encourage you, while you are pitching and organizing, to look behind furniture, under the bed, and any other place clutter might be hiding. You might find the missing piece to a puzzle or game you were going to pitch. While you are there, vacuum, dust and clean those hard to reach places.

I don’t have pictures this week, not because I didn’t take them, but because I have no idea where my camera cord is located! Yesterday I spent almost 12 hours priming the walls in the old house (with the help of friends) and the job is almost finished. We hand over the keys to the old house tomorrow and then things should be back to normal, I hope!

Mr. Linky is acting wonky today, so feel free to leave a link in the comments, or save your post until next week.