How to Keep Your Child's Bedroom Clean | eHow.com

How to Keep Your Child's Bedroom Clean eHow.com

I became an eHow writer today. If enough people like my articles, I'll get paid for them. So, please help me out with my first article, which is a new bit of expertise I picked up and applied over the last year with FlyLady. Feel free to share it with your friends, as well!

Unnecessary Possessions are Unnecessary Burdens

I love decluttering. A year ago, I started with FlyLady (in case you don't know FlyLady, you can find her at http://flylady.net).

I have to admit, I didn't start with baby steps, like she told me to. I tried to implement the whole program at once, and that is probably why I still don't always have a shiny sink. It comes and goes. However, I did take her decluttering systems to heart.

I ran across the quote today that is the title of this post, "Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens." I love that. A year ago, my bedroom was not a haven. It had some nice furniture, coupled with a cluttery shelf of nicknacks and a large shelving unit that didn't match and looked junky. Today, it has only what I love in it. Why? Because my closet doesn't have all the GARBAGE in it that I was holding on to. Because I was willing to quit displaying things that I didn't need or love on my wall on a decorative shelf that didn't really fit in my room, just because it was a gift.

Over the past year, I have donated about 15 large bags of stuff to charity. I have filled my trash can and recycling bins over and over again with things that were broken or missing pieces that I didn't want anyone else to decide they "needed" when they would have just burdened their lives.

Last week, Aaron and I spent hours going through our personal spaces. Mine is my bedroom closet, and his is his office. We filled another three bags up with items to donate, and we filled the garbage can halfway full, and the recycling cans nearly full (yes, I said cans - we go through so much, we have two). His office no longer has plastic bins and cardboard boxes all over the floor, and my closet has some empty shelves and floor space. As soon as my family and I finish scanning the Kukachka photo albums and I get them out of there, there will be enough room for Aaron's clothes to come back into it, if he should want to move them back in from his office.

Saturday afternoon we cleaned out the garage. We filled the garbage can and recycling cans all the way full. Pickup day is Thursday, which makes emptying the trash pails in the house a little tricky for a few days, but that's okay. We also burned the old scraps of wood, the ping-pong table that had no frame to lay it on and hasn't been used since the frame broke when we moved into this house, various pieces of old furniture that had been waiting for repair for too many years to think we were actually going to fix them, and other miscellaneous items. There are now two large empty spaces against the walls of the garage. For the first time ever, I can walk in front of my van when it is parked in there.

I didn't do it all in one day. I worked on a little at a time. I did 15 minute missions, and I did some 4-hour-long marathons.

The best part of decluttering is that when there is less stuff, there is less to clean up. I struggled with keeping my young children's rooms clean in the past. It would take so long to get it all cleaned up, I would just let it go until it would take a whole afternoon. Now, I have learned to get rid of what they don't need. It was hard, at first. I didn't feel like I could get rid of a toy that a child grew out of, or that they didn't play with, especially if it had been a gift. I would hold on to toys that were broken or missing pieces, thinking that I could fix them or that I might find the pieces sometime. Of course, that rarely happens! This stuff would take up precious square footage in my storage area, and then eventually a child would discover them and dump them all over the place. All it did was contribute to the mess.

Now, there is so little in Katie's room that we pick it up each night at bedtime, and it never takes more than a couple of minutes. She doesn't get bored with what she has, either. Aidan and Dallin have only one bucket of toys, one small container of trains, and one small box of Duplos. That is enough for them. The older boys are still working on keeping their room clean, but there is an amazing difference in how their room is today than it was a year ago. It used to be that I couldn't walk through it without stepping on toys, and today it is normally only a little laundry or old homework that is on the floor.

If you are thinking about decluttering, but just don't have the will power to do it, try out FlyLady. She'll give you the tools necessary to find the courage to part with the stuff that is burdening your life.

My wise son, Benjamin

Last Thursday morning I woke up cranky. Wednesday I had painted for 14 hours with the roller brush, and it did not sit well with my shoulders. I got to bed at 1:30am, as the project went way later than normal. I fell asleep for one hour, and then woke up with muscle spasms. It was horrible. I finally fell back asleep around 5am.

Benjamin had asked me for a ruler with centimeters on it on Wednesday, and the only one I knew of was inside my walk-in closet, which had plastic taped over it. I told Ben I would write a note for him to excuse him for the day. However, he kept asking all evening. I got a little frustrated with him.

So, in the morning when he woke me up at 6:45 to ask me again, my head was hazy, and all I could remember was that I had told him numerous times the previous day that I didn't have a ruler for him. I'm sorry to say that I lost my cool and yelled at him that I still didn't have a centimeter ruler! I instantly regretted it. I felt doubly worse when I remembered the ruler in my unblocked closet a couple of minutes later, which I found and gave to him.

After school, I apologized to him for yelling at him. He couldn't remember what I was talking about. I reminded him of the conversation, and he said, "That's okay, Mom. When people don't get much sleep, they act cranky."

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone took being snapped at so well?

Birthday Girl

My darling girl turned 2 on Sunday! She had a "new" dress to wear (a hand-me-down from a friend, but it looks like it has barely been worn), and she said "yes" when I asked her if she wanted her hair in piggy tails, and let me put them in quite easily, for a change.
She loved posing for pictures after we finished her hair. This picture of her is in my bathroom (notice the lovely shade of green on the wall. :-)

In fact, she REALLY enjoyed posing for pictures.

Daddy made her a Curious George cake. I wish I had gotten her smile on camera when she saw it! She is in love with George. It is the only show she watches on t.v. She askes for "monkey George" constantly, and will watch the same episode over and over and over again!

Piggy tails don't last the whole day with 2-year-olds, as you can see from this picture. Katie enjoyed blowing out her candles. Here, she struggles with the last candle. Note the bag of Nerds in her hand from her Halloween candy!

I love my little girl. She is such a sweet child, full of love and so very bright. I am so glad I have her in my life.

No pictures.

Somehow, in the bustle of Halloween, we forgot to take out the camera. Luckily, you can probably recreate the event in your head pretty well, seeing as how I didn't buy new costumes for any of them. First, envision Katie a year older in the same costume as last year (a princess). Envision Aidan a year older in the same costume as last year (a pumpkin). Envision Dallin a year older in the same costume as last year (Superman). Envision Ben in black pants and black turtleneck, holding drum sticks with his face painted blue (a Blue Man from Blue Man Group - Tristin did that a few years ago). Then, envision William laying on the couch in his pajamas, not feeling well (he had a headache and low-key fever, so Brandon carried a bag around for him and asked people to give his sick brother candy). Then, picture Brandon a year older in the same costume as last year (Ron Weasley). Tristin handed out candy this year, costumeless.

The boys and Katie took in a good haul last night. Katie didn't really get what we were doing at first, but got the idea pretty quickly. She seemed to enjoy going door to door for candy. She especially loved it when there were dogs or cats at the door to look at. She didn't appreciate it much when I only let her have three pieces of candy when we got home and then put the bag up. Aaron and I walked with Aidan and Katie while Brandon took Ben, his friend Nicholas, and Dallin ahead with him. Brandon and Ben covered one block more than Nicholas and Dallin, who got tired and cold, but Nicholas and Dallin made it one more block than Aidan and Katie.

We were a little surprised how long Aidan and Katie lasted. At one point, Aaron and I tried to skip a cul-de-sac, but Aidan caught us in our attempt to pull one over on him, and we had to hit those five houses, too.

Koi Pond

It started with a little rushing. On Tuesday I found out that my brother was out of work and needed to make rent, and I had a painting job I needed help with. I offered to pay him to help me paint my master bedroom and bathroom the next day. I had a half-hour until Aaron would be leaving work, and there is a Sherwin Williams store right by his office. I called him and asked him to pick up some Koi Pond paint, the color recommended to me by my good friend Kim, who is a fabulous designer.

I asked Aaron if he thought we would need two or three gallons of paint. He was in the middle of work (imagine that), and asked me to figure out the square footage and email him a list of what I needed. As I only had a little time, I did a rough calculation of a 10'x14' bedroom, plus a 5'x10' bathroom. I had a combination of calculator mishap and area calculation memory lapse at this point, and somehow came up with needing enough paint for 1500 sq. ft. I couldn't find coverage information on their website, so I left it for Aaron to calculate at the store.

Aaron handed my list to the Sherwin Williams clerk, and he proceeded to mix 10 gallons of paint. Aaron thought it was taking a long time to mix, and asked him how much paint a master bedroom and bathroom would normally take. The clerk thought 10 gallons sounded about right (Do most people really have a bedroom and bathroom three times the size of mine???). Aaron had been in the middle of a serious discussion at work when he answered my call, and had not remembered my question about whether I'd need two or three gallons of paint.

Aaron purchased the $394 worth of paint and supplies on my list, and brought them home - at which point I cried. I wasn't planning on spending so much on painting my master bedroom and bathroom, and you can't return tinted paint.

After 14 hours of painting yesterday, the bedroom and bathroom are now a very beautiful shade of green. However, I have seven extra gallons of paint. If anyone is interested in some very nice Kim Dray-recommended Koi Pond Sherwin Williams Paint at $31/gallon, let me know. Six gallons are flat paint for bedrooms, and one gallon is semi-gloss for a bathroom.

First Day of School (a little late)

Here are our traditional doorstep pictures on the first day of school. I have been so busy with home improvement projects ever since the house emptied of these guys during the days that I hadn't gotten around to uploading pictures until today (I have a bit of a cold, so I'm trying to take it easy today).

Tristin - 8th grade

Brandon - 6th grade

Will - 4th grade

Ben - 3rd grade

Dallin - 1st grade

The whole bunch!

Katie hanging on the fridge

Katie was very determined to get a snack out of the refrigerator.

Line of the day

From one of my high school friends' FB page:

_______ hates it when relatives say, "You could be next", at weddings. That's ok though.. she just responds by saying, "You could be next", at funerals.

General Conference Favorites

Here are my favorite talks, in case anyone is interested:

Sat. morning session:

The first half of Elder Scott's talk on communication with the spirit was a definite winner. It gave me peace in regard to the insane decisions Aaron and I are trying to make right now. The second half didn't really apply, but Aaron and I were expecting it, and both yelled, "There it is!" with a few giggles when he got to his favorite evil to avoid (it seems to be a theme with him in his conference talks).

Elder Bednar's talk on the home touched on very important principles that I feel like I'm doing well with right now. I have room for improvement, but all in all, I feel like Aaron and I are on the right track. I will use it in FHE, more than likely.

Sat. afternoon session:

Dallin H. Oaks' talk about love for our Heavenly Father and parenting had sound principles that will help me be a better parent.

Sun. morning session:

H. David Burton's talk about the "ity" virtues is one I plan to use for a family home evening in the near future.

Ann M. Dibb's talk had a great analogy to use in FHE or Primary sharing time.

Thomas S. Monson encouraged us to provide more service to others in this talk.

Sun. afternoon session:

Jeffrey R. Holland bore a fiery testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, and warned us that even those of the covenant can be deceived.

D. Todd Christofferson's talk was very interesting. He discussed how the lack of morality in today's society is causing governments to drive our behavior by compulsion. He reminded that there is no double standard for morality.

Thomas S. Monson closed the meeting with much gratitude for those who spoke, offered prayers, and for the beautiful music. It wasn't just rote, as it sometimes seems. The spirit was strong, and it was very heartfelt. He asked us to pray for him and the other general authorities.

I felt the spirit witness to me the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ so many times during this conference. I am so grateful for the blessings the gospel has brought into my life.

General Conference Activities

Did you know the church has a page with links to general conference activities for children on its website? I didn't until I read about it on my friend's blog. If you are interested, here it is:

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&vgnextoid=ae20e975d2a2b010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Highlights of My Day

• Giving Katie a snack, and having her say, "Thank you" to me
• Having Aidan come in from outside and ask me to suck up the leaf pile he made, to find there was actually a good-sized pile that he had raked up all by himself, without any prompting from anyone
• Having the sister I visit teach actually want and need my help with something, and being able to help her

Escape Artist

All of our kids have been moved to a twin bed by the time they were two years old, and most of them before that. Until Katie, that is. We thought we'd keep her in the crib until she was closer to three, thus helping her to be a better napper.

Aidan taught Katie how to climb out of her crib last week. Yes, Mom, I've received my comeuppance. You see, I taught Jacob how to get out of his crib, and I wasn't even four years old. I was more like 14. I thought I was saving us all the trouble of having to get him out of his crib when he woke up. Of course, then I learned how that affects nap time.

So, at the moment I am hearing the volume of the CD player go up and down in Katie's room. Not only can she escape her crib, but she can also climb up onto the top of her dresser and reach the shelf that Aaron mounted two feet from the ceiling in order to keep the CD player away from children.

At least I have a child-proof door knob. Let's hope she doesn't figure that one out any time soon.

Pictures (click here to view)

Aaron took "school pictures" of the kids last night in the backyard with his work camera. The kids have their pictures taken at school, but we would need the $45 package for each of them to get the right sizes, so we do it ourselves. This way, it normally costs under $50 for the whole bunch of them.

I need a little help deciding which ones to order, so please add your comments to the Picasa web album.

Steep risk: Parents on slide can snap tot’s leg

I thought this was an interesting read. It could save a shin bone!

GovTrack: S. 1640: Text of Legislation, Introduced in Senate

I think this is an excellent idea for health care reform.

GovTrack: S. 1640: Text of Legislation, Introduced in Senate

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Tomatoes

Eight tomato plants is probably too many. I have given away over 50 tomatoes this year. Yesterday, I told Brandon and William, who wanted to put up a lemonade stand all summer (I never had any lemonade for them to sell), that they could sell tomatoes, and I'd split the profit with them. They made $7. There were still three large bowls of tomatoes left. So, I canned eight quarts of tomatoes this morning. I also froze one quart of diced tomatoes, as I didn't have enough jars handy - I didn't have any idea how many would fit in a jar when I started.

What is amazing is that I can can tomatoes on the fly. I don't have a baby anymore. I have not had that kind of freedom in a long time. It is nice! I have gotten so much done this week, and it feels really good.

Ode to Clean Bedrooms

Ye stained floor, ye are no more.

I rejoice in thy departure!

New carpet, "Cape Sands,"

I rejoice as you land

as my bedrooms and office's decor!

Okay, my poetry leaves something to be desired. But, I had to express my joy at having a bedroom that looks clean. Not just picked up, but clean!!! There were a few stains in the carpet when we moved in, and it has only gotten worse over the past few years.

No, we hadn't planned on replacing the carpet this week, but Dallin and Aidan forced the issue with Katie's carpet, so we did them all at once, in order to save a little money, as we were planning on doing it in a few months, anyway.

How did Dallin and Aidan have something to do with this, you ask? Well, they just so happened to dump a few buckets of water on Katie's bedroom floor, and I quote Dallin, "Because (they) felt like it." Tristin and Brandon were babysitting one day last week when I ran errands, and Dallin and Aidan were quiet for them, and they didn't notice what they did.

I noticed later in the evening, when putting Katie to bed, that the floor was soaked. I sopped it up the best that I could, but it wasn't enough. A few days later, the room stunk of mold. I ripped up the carpet, and the floorboards were still wet. The pad was very stinky. If her carpet had been in good condition, I could have just replaced the pad, but as we were going to replace everything soon, anyway, it made more sense to tear it out. We got a quote from Empire Today (you know the jingle, "800-588-2300 Empire - Today!" I've used them before, and they did a good job, so I used them again.

In case you are ever in the market for carpet, and decide to use them, make sure you beat the price down. They always quote high, and come down quite a bit. In our case, they said it would be $3500, but I brought it down to $2500 with upgraded waterproof pads in Katie's and Aidan & Dallin's rooms. $625 per room, installed, hauled away, and furniture moved (they even took apart and reassembled our bed frame), and the carpet is sooooo soft. I'm really quite pleased. I really didn't expect it to be any less than $800 per room, but labor is cheap right now.

Bemidji Pioneer | Bemidji, Minnesota

My sister-in-law's kids are in the news. I can pick out at least two pirates I know, can you?

Bemidji Pioneer | Bemidji, Minnesota

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Oh, the joy of being four!

Last month, when the weather was actually warm some of the time, the boys played in the sprinkler whenever they could. This picture was taken on a particularly hot Family Home Evening. I think it was about 95 degrees in the evening. Whichever boy was in charge of the activity chose a campfire, so we had hot dogs over the fire. Of course, it was so hot outside that evening that we tried to stay as far as possible from the fire, and it didn't take long before the activity turned to playing with water.