Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Organize It!
I am a horribly disorganized person. I am one of those people that can have stacks of stuff sitting around, but yet I remember exactly which stack has what I need in it. Thankfully, I married a man who is exactly the opposite from me, and I've really progressed in the area of keeping things tidy.
You know the old saying “A place for everything, and everything in its place”?
Well, my house is not perfect, but if you knew the “former me”, you'd be quite impressed at how well I'm doing with having “a place for everything.” The “everything in its place” part is a little challenging with three little ones, but I'm teaching them to help tidy up after every activity, and we're managing to at least keep it from looking like a complete junkyard in this house!
So, if I'm doing pretty well at keeping the house organized, then why is this challenge entitled “Organize It”? Well, you know what I organized?
My schedule.
For weeks, I've made lovely to-do lists containing the item “Redo daily schedule”. But I've been procrastinating about actually sitting down and doing it.
Maybe I'm a rebel, I don't know, but I hate being told what to do, especially by a piece of paper. When I do make a schedule, I follow it for about a week (an extremely productive week usually), then I get bored and throw the schedule out the window. Not literally of course; that would be littering. And it would make my yard look junky. Then I'd have to clean it up. Hey, at least I'd have another Anti-Procrastination Challenge to post: “Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Cleaning up the Yard”. Anyway, whatever. I'm getting totally sidetracked.
I've known for a while that I need to get back on a schedule, or at least some kind of routine. I have lots of excuses for not doing it. I don't do well with a schedule – I think I have ADD (not really); I sleep in too often since I've not been feeling well– that would mess up my schedule; the baby's schedule is always changing – it's a pain to always be changing my schedule; etc.
But the truth of the matter is, I just flat out get more done when I'm following at least a basic routine.
I sat down last night and ground out a brand new schedule. The only problem is, I have to follow it now. To tell the truth, I didn't even follow it today. I slept in again, and it threw my day off. I've got to figure out a good plan to get myself into a “sleeping-in day” routine. If anybody has any ideas how to get into a productive groove even when I've slept in, I'd love the advice. My schedule is based on getting up at 6 am, which I honestly enjoy doing, but until I get feeling better, that's not always practical. Maybe I should make a separate “sleeping-in” schedule. I don't know, then I might be tempted to sleep in every day.
Anyway, I'm kind of talking typing to myself now, so I'll get on with the challenge.
I don't know if it's your schedule you need to organize, or something in your house, or what, but you know what it is. So whatever it is, it's time to get it done.
If you'd like, leave me a comment and tell me what you're working on!
Oh, and if you have any advice about the sleeping-in thing, let me know that too!
Oh, and if you’re just now joining our Anti-Procrastination challenge, you can read all the details here. Be sure you’re subscribed to email updates or follow me on Facebook to receive each new challenge!
Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Vehicle
Whenever our family arrives home and unloads out of the van, my hands are usually full of kids, diaper bags, Sunday School papers, sippy cups, and a plethora of other miscellaneous objects. Thanks to my super-organized husband, who absolutely can't stand to have things a mess, there's not usually much left in there that doesn't belong. If there's more stuff than we can carry, he's usually the one to go back and clean it all out. I guess I sort of take it for granted that the van is always tidy, but that has nothing to do with me.
However, it does need a good vacuuming every once in a while. And the outside? Let's just say it doesn't get nearly as much attention as it needs.
I got my van washed and vacuumed this week; now it's your turn.
Go get it done!
If you’re just now joining our Anti-Procrastination challenge, you can read all the details here. Be sure you’re subscribed to email updates or follow me on Facebook to receive each new challenge!
Printable Number Concept Flashcards
I just didn't have it in my budget to purchase flashcards that I knew I could make.
As I finish making the various ones made that I need, I'll share them here on the blog so that anyone else that needs them can print them off too!
I have moved all of my homeschooling posts to christianhomeschoolfamily.com. You can go here to read this post at the new site.
You can go here to read this post at the new site.
Free Home Decor and Organizing Ebooks
Right now Amazon has the following home decor and organizing ebooks available for free! Be sure to double check the price before you click “buy” since it can go up at any time.
Don't have a Kindle?
Get one of these apps to read on your computer or other device.
Your Home Organized: A 31 Day Guide to an Organized Home
How to Organize Your Home: 101 Decluttering Tips and Organization Ideas
Home Decor on a Budget: Repurposing Tips and Decorating Ideas for Your Home
Homemade Cheez-Its Recipe
It seemed like everything I could think of to make, though, was stuff that had sugar in it like muffins, granola bars (what good is a granola bar without chocolate chips in it? 🙂 ), and other things like that.
I wanted some type of crackery something to feed them, so I paid a visit to my good friend, Mr. Google.
This Homemade Cheez-Its recipe called my name, so I printed it off, and headed to the kitchen.
This was so easy, and what I love is the fact that I know exactly what I'm feeding my kids! Cheese, flour, butter, salt and water are the sole ingredients of this lovely recipe.
I know you're tired of hearing me ramble on, and are ready for me to just get on with it, right?
Here goes:
| Homemade Cheez-Its Recipe |
Ingredients
- 8 oz extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
- ½ stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 t kosher salt
- 1 c flour
- 2 T ice water
Instructions
- Using a mixer with paddle attachment, mix Cheese, butter and salt until soft and combined.
- Add the flour and mix on low speed (the dough will be dry and pebbly).
- Slowly add the water and continue to mix as the dough forms a ball.
- Pat the dough into a disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.
- Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each into a very thin (1/8 inch or less) 10 x 12-inch rectangle. Using a fluted pastry cutter, cut the rectangles into 1-inch squares, then transfer to the baking sheets. Use the tip of a chopstick to punch a hole into the center of each square.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until puffed and browning at the edges. Watch carefully, as the high fat content of the crackers makes it a fine line between golden delicious and burnt. Immediately move the crackers to racks to cool.
I used Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese for ours, and the whole family has been raving about them!
This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Recipe from ReadyMade.com
Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Refrigerator
I know you're all going to just love me for today's challenge, but it must be done sometime, right? And if we're not going to procrastinate, it needs to be done now, right?
That's what my husband and I decided right before bed last night. The nasty refrigerator was just bugging us way too much, and really, when are we ever going to find a good time to clean it out?
So, last night it was. It took an hour. Honestly, I didn't think it was that bad (and chances are it wasn't); you just have to know my husband. He says he's not a perfectionist, but I don't really know what else to call it.
Every single shelf was wiped down, and the old food was thrown away, which is fine. That's the way most people clean out their fridge. But, he wasn't content to stop there. He wanted to use up any food that was about to go bad…now. As in, let's make a gigantic fruit salad at bedtime. As in, “Honey, you might as well wash up these blackberries and get them in the freezer.”
I'm always like, “I will. Tomorrow.” Which I guess is why I realized that I needed this Anti-Procrastination challenge this year. And which I guess is why there was food in the fridge that already had to be thrown out. It must have all been stuff I said I was going to use up…tomorrow. Apparently, “tomorrow” was too late.
Sigh. So, I guess know I'll be glad tonight at supper when we get to eat this wonderful fruit salad that I didn't feel like making last night.
Anyway, enough of my rambling about my woes of late-night fruit salad making.
It's time for you to get busy cleaning out your fridge! And I don't want to hear you saying that it's not that bad! You'll be sorry when you're throwing out food at bedtime one night. And, ahem, if you really need to – go ahead and make that fruit salad. Just don't tell my husband I suggested that. He'll think I thought it was a good idea.