Albertsons

I spent 45 minutes in Albertsons today, though I (mostly) followed the list I had prepared. Here's some of what I got...

2 containers Dreyer's ice cream. Regularly $6.99. Bonus Buy for $1.99 each. =D
10 Smart Ones lunches. Regularly $3.89 each. I paid $1.30 each after a sale, quantity discount, and coupon.
4 Packs Hormel Turkey Pepperoni. Regularly $4.69 each. I paid $1.60 each after a sale and quantity discount.
2 packs of free gum thanks to  B1G1F coupons.
Halloween candy. I bought 6 bags, regularly 3.59-3.99 each. They were on sale for $2.50 each, and I had coupons. Ended up paying $10 total after sale and coupons. That's way better than the$20-$24 it would have been.
To get one of those Halloween Candy coupons,  I had to buy 2 Tombstone pizzas. They were on sale, but were still $5.79 each. It will be nice to have them in the freezer, though, when we need dinner in a pinch.

Total spent... $49.90. That's down from $104.50 when I originally rang up. Saved 56%!

Couponing and ADHD

I don't think couponing is a very wise thing for someone with ADHD to do. And yet, here I find myself doing it again. What is the draw? What makes me want to clip coupons and plan out shopping trips? I'm not looking to be an extreme couponer, but I seem to tend towards extremes in my shopping. Where is the balance??

Systematizing my Home

I am in the process of systematizing my home. I have a long way to go for sure, but what I've done so far is working well! It all started back in April when I organized the pantry... again. Only this time I put bins and labels in the pantry. And you know what? I haven't had to reorganize it since. I also haven't put any effort into keeping it organized. What changed is that I found a system intuitive enough to my subconscious that I don't have to think to keep it that way. Better yet, my family is able to maintain it as well. The same is true for our hall closet that houses games, extra paper products, Eliana's craft item, etc. It was chaotic, but then I went crazy with the clear shoe bins and my labeler and... it has been organized and tidy since! And we use that closet a lot! So... with these two places disproving my self-inflicted theory that I can never keep things organized, I am working on finding systems for my entire home that work for me and my family!

I want my home to have a (labeled) place for everything so that everything can go in its place!

I started out writing this post with a specific goal in mind, but now I can't remember what I was going to say. This is pretty common for me... Which is why I'm so excited that I'm finding systems that work... even with my ADD!!

My biggest challenge by far is PAPER CLUTTER. I love paper. Not just craft paper, it turns out, but anything paper. I love printables. I'm afraid I won't be able to find them on my computer (because I have NO organization for my virtual files!), so I print out the ones I love. And then I have a stack of paper to deal with, but I don't want to deal with it right then, because I just exhausted myself going through all the printables to find the ones I liked. So I leave the pile for later. Only later never really comes and my pile gets bigger until I can't figure out what to do with all the papers. It's an overwhelming, exhausting process. So... I'd like to get my paper clutter under control. In fact, there are lots of areas of my life and home I'd like to get under control, so here's the list I want to work through...

Home paper clutter
MK office paper clutter
Craft room paper clutter
Craft room clutter in general
Overflowing bento supplies
Color coded file system
Dinner planning
MK office systems to keep my desk clear
Laundry system
Keeping volunteer projects separate and organized
Maintaining a clean and organized bedroom
Systems for keeping Eliana's room organized and clean
Master closet organization
Guest room systems
Shopping systems to regulate spending
Custom planner systems

Trying Something New...

I am trying something new to help keep Eliana on track in the morning before school. School hasn't started yet, but once it does I will need to get myself ready and have her get ready in order to be out the door on time. If this works, I'm thinking of making one for myself! Here's what I'm trying...

From on the FLY

I bought a $3.97 clock from Walmart and colored each of the sections in with a sharpie, then labeled what she should be doing during that time. It should keep her on task and out the door in an hour. It probably won't take her 15 minutes to get dressed in the morning, but I want to allow for distractions, as she has MANY! Hopefully she will have plenty of time using this clock to stay on track in the mornings and we will be out the door by 8!

Closet Love

Yesterday I set about doing something I have wanted to do for a very long time. I made hanging clothing dividers for my closet and for Eliana's closet. I have organized my clothes this way for a long time, but it is difficult for others to put things away, or it's too easy for me to be too lazy to put them away correctly. Now, though, there is order! Hooray! Here's what I made...

From on the FLY

This is my closet. I like to hang my shirts based on sleeve length first, color second. So my dividers are as follows... *strapless *strappy tank tops *tank tops *sleeveless *short sleeve *3/4 sleeve *long sleeve *vests *cardigans *jackets Then in each section I hang clothes in the following color order... *white *natural *brown *yellow *orange *pink *red *purple *blue *green *gray *black It sounds complicated, but it makes it super easy to find what you're looking for! And it's really not that complicated once you get the hang of it. Especially now that I have dividers!! The other side of my closet is considerably simpler, since I just have skirts, pants, and capris over there.

From on the FLY

In Eliana's room, we did the same thing, only it's much less complicated. She told me what categories of clothes she needed dividers for, and she just puts them in there willy-nilly. Her categories are... *Short Sleeve Shirts *Long Sleeve Shirts *Pants *Skirts *Play Dresses *Church Dresses

From on the FLY

From on the FLY

I color coordinated the dividers based on the rooms, of course. And I also created dividers for Eliana's school uniforms. We already had M-S dividers that we've been using for a couple years. Those are sort of what inspired these! They were a free download a couple years ago, and now can be purchased on Etsy. Of course, now I can't find the link, but I'll keep looking for it. I looked at all sorts of clothing dividers on Etsy, thinking I would just buy some, but for the number of dividers we needed, I didn't want to spend $60!

Traveling Light...

This summer I am taking a trip to Texas for our Mary Kay Seminar. I am checking one piece of luggage (which is shared with my daughter), but I wanted to pack as much as I could into my carry-on to avoid having to check a second bag, and to make sure that I had all my essentials, in case my baggage got lost. What I found is that I could fit much more than I expected into my little carry-on bag!!

Here is my bag, in the seat of a small recliner, with a remote added for scale. Not a large carry-on at all!

From Travel Tips

Here's what it looks like when you open it up...

From Travel Tips

Under the folded jacket, you see what REALLY makes up the inside of the suitcase...

From Travel Tips

Under the jeans I have several pairs of shoes packed tightly, with the spaces between them stuffed with underwear.

From Travel Tips

For the first time ever, I utilized the Travel Space Bags I have. I used two in this suitcase. They are nice because you don't need a vacuum to remove the air; you just roll them up to press out all the air and when you unroll them they are vacuum packed. It's pretty amazing!

From Travel Tips

Even more amazing is how much I was able to fit in each Space Bag. I rolled my clothes first, then put them into the Space Bag to maximize space and minimize wrinkles. It worked surprisingly well!

From Travel Tips

The first bag included a sweater and long skirt...

From Travel Tips

Knee length dress and two slips...

From Travel Tips

Skinny jeans and black yoga pants...

From Travel Tips

And 6 tops...

From Travel Tips

Here's what the bag looked like after I removed the first Space Bag:

From Travel Tips

The second Space Bag included several more items of clothing...

From Travel Tips

An after 5 dress...

From Travel Tips

A beaded after 5 dress along with a velvet bolero jacket...

From Travel Tips

A long formal gown...

From Travel Tips

Two business skirts...

From Travel Tips

3 tops...

From Travel Tips

A cardigan sweater and a swimsuit...

From Travel Tips

There was also a pair of shorts stuffed along the side of the Space Bags, that I tucked in as an afterthought. Here is what the carry-on looked like without the clothing items:

From Travel Tips

After going through security, I also tucked my ziplock of liquids into the top of the bag, so I had shampoo and conditioner, lipstick, mascara, mascara primer, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, and a couple finger nail polishes with me as well.

From Travel Tips

As for my shoes, I managed to pack 4 pairs of shoes in my carry-on as well. If my luggage got lost, I could survive with these 4 pair (plus the pair I was wearing) without too many problems. There's a pair of black walking flats, black business wedges, navy sandals, and gold dress wedges. Remember, I'm headed to a business conference with 3 semi-formal events and lots of walking, so I had to be judicious about what were in my "essentials" list!

From Travel Tips

I also had some accessories tucked away in my carry-on. I had 2 belts (one narrow, one wide), a flat iron, and a bag that could double as a clutch if needed.

From Travel Tips

Then there was my jewelry... Some people just have a couple accessories that will do for them, but I love my bling!! Here's my jewelry case and headband...

From Travel Tips

Now, I'm sure I could have packed my jewelry in a smaller space if I'd been willing to, but I like my jewelry organizer, even if it is a bit on the bulky side. It has clear zippered "pages" that flip so I can see everything and organize it however I want for the trip. No worries of jewelry getting tangled!

From Travel Tips

From Travel Tips

So... It turns out I can fit a LOT into my little suitcase!! I have enough clothing for 2 weeks, and even when my checked bag didn't come out with the rest of our flight's luggage, I wasn't worried. Thankfully, the reason it didn't come out with the rest is because it arrived on an earlier flight, but still... it felt great to be prepared!

Monday Routine

Events to schedule around.... 

Eliana has school from 8:30 to 3:30

I have Mary Kay from 6-9

Areas of Focus...

Bedrooms

Appointments

SCHEDULE

(6:15) Wake up (5 min)

(6:20) Read Bible (15 min)

(6:25) Check Email (5 min)

(6:30) Shoes on, ready to exercise (5 min)

(6:45) Exercise (45 min)

(7am) Wake Eliana up (5 min)

(7:05) Take a Shower (15 min)

(7:20) Get Dressed (5 min)

(7:25) Do Eliana's Hair (10 min)

(7:35) Get Eliana Breakfast (5 min)

(7:40) Do My Hair and Makeup (15 min)

(7:55) Help Eliana get out the door - Lunch, Shoes, etc. (5 min)

(8am) Take Eliana to School (15 min)

(8:15) Strip Beds and Wash Sheets (5 min)

(8:20) Drink Breakfast and Write notes to customers (10 min)

(8:30) Submit WAS (5 min)

(8:35) Enter Profile Cards and Sales Slips (20 min)

(8:55) Prepare for Appointments / Calls (5 min)

(9am) Appointments / Calls (2 Hours)

(11am) Lunch (30 minutes)

(11:30) Move Sheets to Dryer (5 min)

(11:35) Household Time - Pick Up Bedrooms (25 min)

(12pm) Office / Prep Time (1 hour)

(1pm) Appoinments / Calls (2 Hours)

(3pm) Make Beds (15 min)

(3:15) Prepare Eliana's Snack (10 min)

(3:25) Pick Eliana up from school (20 min)

(3:45) Unload Eliana's backpack (5 min)

(3:50) Review Eliana's spelling words with her (10 min)

(4pm) Empty / Load the dishwasher with Eliana (15 min)

(4:15) Quiet Time / Reading / Watching TV (45 min)

(5pm) Make Dinner (15 min)

(5:15) Dinner (30 min)

(5:45) Drive to Mary Kay

(6pm) Mary Kay (3 Hours)

(9pm) Drive Home (15 min)

(9:15) Unload MK Stuff and put away (15 min)

(9:30) Wash face and brush teeth (10 min)

(9:40) Lay out clothes for tomorrow (5 min)

(9:45) Change clothes and put in hamper (5 min)

(9:50) Read / Journal (10 min)

(10pm) Bedtime