The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

February 5, 2015

{a year of challenges} Four Weeks to an Organized Home: Update 1

Every Thursday in February, I’ll be sharing my progress for the February is for Organization challenge. (I’m following Money Saving Mom’s prompts for 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home) Today is a short update – I’m only three days in! – and written in bullet form.

DAY 1 Assignment // Write down 5-10 goals for the week. Get rid of 7 items. 15 minute quick pick-up of the main living areas. Clean out purse/diaper bag.
+ I was crazy motivated today and excited to get started! I knocked out the goal list during breakfast.
+ It was embarrassingly easy to find seven things to get rid of. A few were decor items that I’ve been holding onto “just in case” and since they haven’t left the closet in more than six months…well, they found themselves in the donation box.
+ Cleaning out the diaper bag was simple too. I didn’t have much to throw away, but it was a good time to replenish diapers and organize everything inside.
+ I had the kids “race the clock” with me to clean the first floor before bedtime. They love a challenge and we “won” with three minutes to spare!

DAY 2 Assignment // Complete 2 things from the goal list. Get rid of 7 items. 15 minute quick clean of the kitchen. Clean out the refrigerator.
+ My goals to complete were to wash all the sheets and to wrap a package to send to friends. Two projects I’m happy to have checked off the list!
+ I went through a stack of papers I’ve been saving and threw out at least 10 things. Why do I hold on to this stuff again?
+ I organized everything in the fridge, but am going to wait until this weekend to deep clean the shelves. There will be less food to have to take out then too.
+ I did a quick clean of the kitchen by myself after the kids went to bed and dare I admit it was magical? The silence, the clearing of countertops without someone asking for a snack, the filling of the dishwasher without any helpers…my kitchen was sparkling and Mamma had a bit of alone time. Win/win.

DAY 3 Assignment // Complete 1 thing from the goal list. Get rid of 7 items. 15 minute quick clean of my bedroom. Clean out the freezer.
+ We were out of the house most of the afternoon, so I didn’t complete most of today’s assignment. I did pick up my bedroom and quickly added a couple toys to the donation pile. I’ll catch up with the rest tomorrow.

Have you been cleaning or organizing this week? Let’s keep each other accountable!

February 4, 2015

{100 beautiful things} No.002 & 003: Instagram Yearbooks

There are very few material things that I would grab if my house was on fire, but I would make a bee-line to save these books! My entire family adores them and we all gather around to reminisce and laugh about past adventures. The memories are priceless.

So here are the details about our yearbooks: I have them printed through Blurb. They are the 12″x12″ size with a photo printed right on the cover. (I figure a dust jacket is only going to get ripped with all of these little hands!) All of my Instagram photos from the year are inside and since that’s my favorite place to be on social media, I feel like they are a great representation of our everyday.

A few tips that have worked for me:

+ I downloaded the book software from Blurb onto my computer, so I could work on it throughout the year. About once a month, I take the photos from my phone onto my computer and then quickly pop them into place.

+ I figured out an easy pattern with the templates provided, making it even easier to pop in the photos (this will make more sense with the pictures below):

Pages 1&2: One big picture on the left, nine small pictures on the right

Pages 3&4: Nine small pictures on the left, one big picture on the right

Pages 5&6: 18 small pictures…and repeat

+ The photos are mostly in chronological order, but I moved things around if I thought it looked better (like no two black and white photos touching, etc).

+ The books only contain photos, no writing. If I’m feeling brave, I may hand-write captions with a fine point Sharpie. (But probably not, because what if I mess up? #perfectionistproblems)

+ There is a way to upload your Instagram pictures directly into a Blurb book, but since I wanted a bigger book, I haven’t tried it.

Below are a few of my favorite pages, although it’s hard to choose! From 2013:

And from our 2014 book:

Post contains affiliate links…thanks for supporting the BWF!

February 3, 2015

{a year of challenges} February is for Organization

It’s February and that means it’s time for a new challenge!

Are you and your kids going stir crazy yet? The weather here is still pretty frigid, so we’ve been spending most days inside. As I type this, the boys are wrestling in the living room, while Sophie dumps out her blocks for the tenth time today. And me? I’m looking around at all.the.stuff. The clutter, the toys, the laundry…I’m craving simplicity and order in a big way.

With that in mind, I’ve decided that February is the month for organization. I’m hoping to work past the “I’m so overwhelmed, I don’t know where to start” feelings and dive in somewhere. Because some beats none, right?

My challenge:
I’m going to follow the prompts from Money Saving Mom’s 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home series. The plan is a mix of decluttering, deep cleaning and organizing and I think it’s just what I need to start getting the house how I’d like it. I’ll be checking in on the blog every Thursday with my progress.

Join me?

Set a goal for February, simple or ambitious. Here are ten ideas to get you started:

+ Tackle a project you continually put off. Maybe the basement or attic?
+ Follow the House Organization Diet: The 31 Day Detox.
+ Take out all of your children’s clothing and organize by size.
+ Complete the Throw Out 100 Things Challenge.
+ Head to the store and buy those baskets/plastic bins that you’ve been “meaning to buy” for months.
+ Take out every piece of clothing in your closet and only put back the ones you love.
+ Start 2015 right by creating a system for all of your paperwork.
+ Follow Clean Mama’s #clutterfree30 Challenge and post your work on Instagram.
+ Read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing and then implement some of the advice.
+ Get started on The 40 Weeks Whole House Challenge.

Are you in?

Comment below with the learning goal of your choice. I want to cheer you on!

{A Year of Challenges Archives: January is for Learning}

February 2, 2015

{thrive goals} January Review, February Goals & a Free Printable!

1. Complete a 2014 Blurb book of my Instagram photos.
Done. We just got the finished product in the mail last week and the kids have already looked through it countless times. I love hearing all of the memories they have associated with the photos. A blog post with more info coming soon!

2. Work on art for the dining room.
Didn’t get this one finished, but I’ve finally decided what I want to do. It will be my first wood-working project and I’m both excited and nervous. Hoping to knock it out in February.

3. Celebrate Big White Farmhouse‘s first birthday!
Done. We had two really successful giveaways and some new interest brought to the store. So excited to get working on new things for year two.

4. Start to run regularly, 3-4 times a week. Continue to strive for 10,000+ steps daily.
I consider this one mostly a success. I have been running pretty regularly, but with the introduction of Insanity workouts, I’ve only been on the treadmill twice, maybe three times a week. Monthly total mileage: 22 miles. As far as my step count goes, I hit my goal 25 out of 31 days. Pretty good!

5. Return to regular meal planning and making healthy dinners. No eating out!
Done. We did eat out twice, but they were treats instead of the typical “I’m too tired/lazy to make dinner, so let’s buy something” mentality. And honestly, after cooking some delicious meals, the takeout just didn’t taste as good as I remembered it.

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1. Try something new creatively. // I’m thinking arm knitting?
2. Drink 6+ glasses of water daily. // I have been making an effort to drink more water, but I can’t seem to get over four glasses a day! I’m hoping to change my habits a little to see if I can increase my intake.
3. Floss every day. Or every other day. // This is a lesson on practicing what you preach. I’m on my kids about oral health, while I let mine slide.
4. Read two books, one fiction and one non. // I have so many great choices on my nightstand!
5. Make a Valentine’s memory with the kids. // I want to make the day special, but in a simple way. Right now, I’m thinking about doing a craft and maybe surprising them with ice cream…they have been asking to go to Sweet Frog for awhile now.