Getting Organized

I know this blog is mainly about remodeling....but I guess I consider organization of the home part of our remodeling. :-) And goodness knows we have organized around here since we moved in. I talked a little about how we re-did 3 closets since we moved in. No one can really notice that remodeling, as it is behind closed doors. But, it has made such a difference in where and how we store things. My boys bedroom closets is one example.

Anyway, this weekend I decided to tackle all the loose paper around our schoolroom/library, and if you homeschool, you know how this paper can accumulate! I sorted through, filed and threw out so much stuff! I re-registered with my Church related school for next year and updated my attendance and grades. I even have notebooks set up for next years filing of paperwork, etc for each boy. It took about 2 hours of uninterrupted work, but it's accomplished and I feel so much better! It was such a job to tackle!

From there I began to pull curriculum that was from previous grades, to box up and wait to be used in the future. I also pulled curriculum to sell at a future used curriculum sale. I threw out completed workbooks, that I was saving for who knows what! My dh said, "Throw them out!" So, out they went. I created quite a bit of room on all my bookshelves through this process, and I was able to shelf our curriculum for next year.... Yeah! And now I have room for the two boxes of curriculum that are coming soon!

Finally, I moved on to another paper mess. We are in the process of adopting internationally, and I had all the paperwork in various places...file folders and piles in and around my desk. It wasn't very organized and I don't think anyone other than me could locate a single document if they needed it. And while we had 3 ring binders for housing this stuff, we were not using them..... So, I tackled this project as well. Every important paper is stored in clear sheet protectors. It looks so much better, and I was able to empty two huge file folders! Now, all the documents are in their place, and should we need to pull them for something, it's easily found. I love the feeling being organized gives me! (Yes, I know I'm probably weird...) :-)

We have an art closet in our homeschool room as well. It has 3 doors. One is for my curriculum manipulatives, like games, flashcards, etc. The other two are for craft supplies. They are a Mess!! The boys pull out art supplies and crafts to do any number of projects whenever they feel like it. And while I LOVE their spontaneity and creativity, the disaster they leave behind isn't much fun. Thankfully they are old enough to put their crafts away, but they kind of put it in any old place they can find. So, from time to time I have to clean that out as well. It's been a LONG time since I did that. I'm waiting to get up the energy.... lol!

Anyway, aside from the art closet the room looks much better....I have a friend, who has on her blog... "Tackle it Tuesday." That's what I felt like this weekend... even though it wasn't a Tuesday.... I sure did tackle a lot!