Alex's Room Is Finished! :)

After my lovely Mother's Group meeting today I somehow managed to finish the cupboard in Alex's room, and I'm so pleased with it! One more time, here is the "Before" photo

And here is the "After" :-) Ok, so its not exactly Chez Larsson but it's functional :-D

Top shelf, where I have some Ikea boxes for storing Alex's keepsakes ( I haven't filled them yet but will label as I go), the Medela breast pump, and bulk Aldi baby wipes

Second shelf, I have a cute box that was a gift from Alex's Aunty Cinnamon, which I keep all his "grooming" things in, like creams, lotions and hair brush etc. Another box is for ornaments not being used at the moment (I have a few out around the house, and when I feel like a change I will pack them away and bring out some new ones). The other box stores the legs to an activity table and the Jolly Jumper when it's not in use. There's also room here in the front for smaller boxes or containers if I need to store other things later on.

Second bottom shelf, which is weak. I have put all the baby blankets and the lambskin in here, as they are light in weight so there isn't much weight on the shelf. I have put this container on a little wooden step, so that I can store smaller boxes underneath it. I love this step, and I always find a different use for it at every place I've lived. In the last home I had one of our stereos on top of it with CD's underneath. We now listen to our music from the computer so we don't need the stereos anymore.

Incidently, at the time I was taking these photos Alex worked out how to go from holding onto the shelf to holding on to the little chair nearby!! Clever boy :-) It still amazes me how every day he learns something new!

Here are a few more pics of this room, which I'm really happy with now. Some "Before's"

Dull, dull, dull. The dresser stores some of my clothes and we moved it into our bedroom. The ugly bookshelf went to the hallway.

This side pretty much stayed the same as I love looking out the window from my beautiful red breast-feeding chair. We can see the beach from this window.
And now, the "Afters"

I put all of the soft toys with hard eyes up on the shelf until he is old enough to play with them. The large teddy in the corner was a very special First Christmas present, handmade, by his Aunty Cinnamon.

We bought the little Lego table and chair off Gumtree and Alex loves it! Shane is still a Lego fan so he loves it too :-) Of course there'll be no Lego for a few years yet but its such a cute table, and the top turns around so it can also be used for drawing etc. so I couldn't resist.

Oh and also the other side of the cupboard, where I keep my drawing, sewing and craft things. Bottom is empty as its my Princess's hiding hole. I have the paper shredder poking out a little on the middle shelf there so that the door can't be shut completely, so the poor cat isn't shut in (which has happened a few times much to her disgust). Don't really love her sleeping in Alex's room, but not much I can do about that *sigh*

Middle of the cupboard, where my dresses hang, Alex's clothes and up top are nappy boxes storing baby clothing that are either too small or too big at the moment. I also have to store the vac and steam mop in here which I dislike as they don't fit well but there's simply no where else in our unit to store them

And finally, a beautiful paper boat garland given to me by my best friend Lissy. Its made with vintage French newspaper, and other bits of string, ribbons and buttons etc hang from it. I just adore it.

Hope you've enjoyed the tour of Alex's room.
"See" you all soon!
Xxo

Alex, Spring Cleaning and A Bit of Organising

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments last post :-D Alex had his scan and unfortunately it turns out he does in fact have ureta reflux. There are little kinks in the ureta tubes to the kidneys which makes the wee flow the wrong way, which is why he had the urinary infection. He will need to be on a low dose of antibiotics for 2 years :-( Of course it could be alot worse, but this result is still extremely upsetting for me as I had wished the Dr would say "Your boy is perfectly healthy and will never need another test or drug again"...

Anyway, spending more time in the childrens ward (this time just a few hours) once again put things into perspective for Shane and I as we watched a beautiful tiny girl with muscular dystrophy play with the toys in the waiting room. Many, many babies have terrible conditions much worse than what Alex has and I am thankful that his condition isn't worse. He wont need surgery which is a HUGE relief. The antibiotics will keep his urine sterile and in 2 years the tubes will have straightened themselves out. At least he likes his medicine- it is banana flavoured :-) I am taking pro-biotics so he gets some in the breast milk, and hopefully that will be enough to prevent him getting thrush from taking antibiotics long term. I am also going to see a naturapath to find out if there's anything else I can do (the Dr's answer was "No". (Followed by a Loud Silence).

Anyway- apart from all this we are going very well! Little darling sleeps for 3 hour periods now which is a huge relief! And the night feeds are very "Get the Job (quietly) Done and Back to Sleep". I am still having trouble sometimes with the breast feeding, and it usually happens in the middle of the night (I guess because I am tired and Alex is tired and the whole thing goes pear shaped) and the vasospasms are worse at night. So now I pump a couple of bottles and we give him those at night, usually one at 3am and Shane gives him one early morning so I can sleep for a longer stretch. I usually get 5 or 6 hours sleep a night now which is bliss! It's enough to feel almost normal again and sometimes I get a little half hr nap in the afternoon. Alex still sleeps alot during the day of course.

I have begun to think about Spring Cleaning, as it's that time of year and our place hasn't been properly cleaned since Alex was born. Some things need to be done for health reasons, poor Shane gets terrible hayfever and Alex sneezes alot too. I now feel like I am ready to tackle some short bursts of cleaning (I can get ALOT done in 20 minutes- I am like Speedy Gonzales :-D) while he sleeps. He is playing with (well, looking at-) his toys more now (he's 2 months old now) so I can get some things done while he's awake too. I have decided to write up a timetable for the next few weeks, with the cleaning projects that really need to done, like the dusting. I will write up on my whiteboard in the laundry what jobs need doing, and allocate 20 mins twice a week. I find it much easier if I allocate a certain job to a particular day, for e.g. Vaccuum floors on Monday, Grocery shopping on Tuesday, Spring Cleaning (only 20 mins) on Wednesday, Cooking on Thursday etc. I was reading a post on the topic of creating a cleaning schedule on the Creative Organizing blog, here is the link. I also do a load of washing or 2, everyday. I know that sounds excessive, but we really do have that much washing!! Especially as Alex brings up a lot of milk, we are constantly changing his clothes and bibs, and then there's the cloth nappies, which we mostly use as large bibs. He also has diarrhea alot from the antibiotics :-(. We go through alot of nappies a day, so we have to use disposables as well as cloth. I'm constantly surprised how much washing there is even when I try to always have a bib on him! Do you find you have ALOT of washing with your babies or is it just me??

A friend of mine asked recently if I have any new tips on organising. I realise I haven't really written anything useful on organising/tidying for a while- it's all been about Alex hasn't it :-D  Well I'm not sure about anything new on organising but I can sum up a couple of helpful tips I've been thinking about. Firstly, when de-cluttering an area like the kitchen bench, I go with the rule Like With Like, meaning keep like things together. This rule can be applied to both tidying up and organising. When tidying, I first run around grabbing all the clothes, off the floor, bed, furniture etc. I then sort out dirty clothes from the "can be worn again" clothes- I know this might sound a bit gross but I put the "can be worn again" back into the cupboard. Otherwise the house is cluttered by these items- I will wear things like jeans many, many times in an attempt to cut down on washing (mind you- I don't fit my jeans yet so it's mostly just pj's around the house ;-)) Obviously, dirty clothes go to the laundry basket.

Next I tackle paper, and sort into piles- rubbish, things to be read, bills, etc- usually bills go straight into my 3 tier paper organiser but lately the little buggars end up on the coffee table or kitchen bench etc. After clothing and paper has all been put away or dealt with, I will grab all the bathroom items, for eg. moisturiser, hair ties, lip blam etc that finds its way to the rest of the house. On I go in this way- just tackling one "type" of thing at a time. Have you tried this system when you tidy up? I find it helps me stay focused, as otherwise I may walk randomly around the place unsure of what I am picking up next.

"Like With Like"- I always use this rule with organising. Basically, keep like items together, and when relevant, keep them in some sort of container and label it. It can be that simple! For eg, if you want to tidy up the bathroom cupboard, sort everthing into piles- hair things, skin creams, first aid supplies, soaps, teeth cleaning items etc. Next source suitable containers, I recently got some small white plastic baskets at Woolworths, and they were only about $9 for 4! (Photos to come, another day- camera battery is flat :-)) I never spend alot on these sorts of containers. Remember to use plastic ones in the bathroom as cane or material will get mouldy. Next you can either label the containers once you've filled them with the individual piles "Hair Things" or you may not have to if it is obvious to you and your family what is in them. Aahh containers- I do feel better when things are snuggled neatly in them.

Speaking of snuggle- Bubba is waking so I better get going- please share with me if you are doing some organising lately, and if you use the "Like with Like" rule- and what containers are you using??

Xxo  Sarndra

Before & After Photos- Organising an Office

This is a before photo of one of my client's office. They had the right idea, to use containers for storing paper work. They just needed a little guidance to get the office organised and looking lovely.

Office Before photo

Office Before photo

Now see the result after my organising the office.

Office After photos.


I sorted out all of the family's paperwork and office supplies, and came up with strategies to help the family stay organised. The office is often a place for disorder and chaos in many homes. Note the use of beautiful colourful boxes, labelled, to keep things in order. Remember the simple rule- keep like items together. Simple strategies set in place and followed can help you stay focused, achieve your goals and create your perfect office bliss!

Office After photos

I hope you've enjoyed checking out these Before & After photos from one of my organising weekends. Stay tuned for more pics!

Labelling- I'm an addict

Our unit could look as if a foreign exchange student learning English lives here, with the amount of little labels scattered throughout the premises. Yes it can look a little daggy, but it makes mine and my husband's lives, much easier.

A label maker is an essential item, if you are striving for more organisation in your life. I bought my Dymo from officeworks for around $50, a very worthwhile purchase. It has so many uses, where can I start?

In the kitchen, I store most of the pantry items in tupperware (I don't mean the expensive Tupperware brand, I just use that word for small containers for storing food :)). I love the look of an organised pantry with food stored neatly in containers. Also it minimises cockroaches, and therefore the need for nasty chemicals to kill the cockroaches, helping to keep my life eco-friendly. I label the tupperware containers with what is in them, and sometimes the date if it is a perishable item. I also label the shelves in the pantry. Yes I am a little OCD about labels. I find unpacking groceries so much quicker and brainless (and face it, most of us ARE brainless after a few hours grocery shopping), when you can easily see where to put the particular item. My husband loves the labels as well, as my kitchen system may not always come naturally to him, and the labels prevent tension in our relationship :-D

Labels have many more uses than just in the kitchen. I have recently labelled the drawers in our baby's room. We were kindly given a pile of hand me down baby clothes, of all different sizes. Knowing that I will be extremely busy with him when he is born, I organised all of the clothes into sizes from 0000 to 1, placed them in order in the drawers (smallest up top and bigger down the bottom) and labelled the outside of the drawers. I know this will make putting away the washing and "quick grab a fresh babysuit" much easier when we are busy new parents.

What do you use labels for? Please share your tips as well :-) I have many more uses for my label maker that I will share in the future, with photos as well.