Ramblings of a Crowded Mind & Full Heart: Cleaning & Organizing & Dusting- OH MY!!!

Ok people, I need some accountability here. I have had a list of "spring cleaning" items to do since, well, spring and now winter is *just* around the corner (here in Ak anyway) and I have got.to.just.DO.it! Seriously, it is absolutely ridiculous that some of these things have not been done...ever... and at this point I have no more excuses. At first it was, well the sun is out I need to be out, then it was school is out we need to be out, then it was school is starting life is chaos and now... well now I got nothing but a list of things still staring be in the face. Now, don't misunderstand me, I am not one of those people who wants a perfect house at the sacrifice of actually living but some things do eventually have to be done, and now is the time.

So, why am I taking the time to share all of this with you? For two reasons really, I am going to throw this out into cyber space so more than just by husband (who is wonderfully patient about all things cleaning, I know, I am so blessed) knows my intentions and hopefully I am slightly more motivated to get it down. I plan on "checking in" and no one wants to check in and say "oh yeah, I didn't do anything" week after week, at least I don't :). Below you will find a list of my "to dos", I intend to set reasonable goals to accomplish them (like one big one a week?) because I am not so naive to think that life will not get in the way a bit and I don't want to be so consumed with "getting 'er done" that I forget to love on my kids, cook for my husband, chat with my friends, because I am a firm believer that those things are more important (obviously, some of the things on my list have been there for.ev.er:). I will also be posting pictures of my accomplishments so you can all ooo & ahhh and make me feel so awesome for doing it. I am also a firm believer that "stay at home moms" do not get enough "atta boys" (as my husband calls them:) and I like "atta boys" or "atta girls" as the case is. I also want to invite you to share any projects you have had sitting in limbo for ages and maybe work "with me" in getting yours done as well. Misery loves company, right? Ok, here goes...

1.) Clean windows, inside and out..... LOOK AT THAT, this blog has already helped me :). After writing the majority of it yesterday I decided to get on the ball & finished this one. Whoopee :). It's very important to me to have clean windows when Alaskan winters roll around because we don't have a lot of daylight and I want to be able to soak up every little ray.
2.) Clean all my cabinets, good. Our house is no longer brand new and shiny, after 2+ years of living I got some gunk in places and frankly I am tired of looking at it. I don't even want to know what the tops of my cabinets look like haha.
3.) Clean all of my doors and trim. Again, not so brand new, not so clean anymore.
4.) Clean my refrigerator. Please, do not panic, I have done this in the two years we have lived here (actually the fridge is 4.5 years old but whatever:). So, those who've been to my home breath easy. That being said, it does need to be done again, freezer too.
5.) ORGANIZE MY OFFICE/CRAFT ROOM!!! Why do I say it like that? Because it has NEVER been done, in the 2 years & 4 months since we moved in, never ever, ever never, has it been organized. It has been at varying stages of awful since that day and I really really need to do something about it, for my husband's peace of mind (he keeps talking about shoveling it out haha) and so I can actually use it. For those that wonder why my husband even cares I will sadly confess that this room is off the kitchen and the door is often open....so it's always in our faces. He has been ever so patient but really, it's just sad it isn't done at this point hahahaha. Whew. Anyway, this is my most daunting task, I just feel overwhelmed by it...but, enough is enough. Face the fear, do the dew... :)
6.) Organize laundry and desk space in the kitchen. These are the way they are because my room isn't functional as it should be, so rather than throw more logs on the fire, I have just made new (smaller) fires... yeah...
7.) Go through my kids' toys (before CHRISTMAS!!) and come up with a better way to have their playroom set up.
8.) Reorganize my bathrooms. I have a confession, for the first 2 years we lived in our home we had one (yes ONE) bathroom mirror. That being sad enough, said mirror was in the bathroom off the kitchen on the opposite side of the house from the bedrooms. Oh, and we have all been using the boys' bathroom for showering (because our master shower is not yet finished, a story in itself I will not go into now) and I dress in my closet. Yes, you are reading that right, all that meant I was using THREE different bathrooms for various stages of getting ready and also means I have stuff all over. Now that I have mirrors in all bathrooms, I need to reorganize all my stuff into my bathroom and distribute other "bathroom things" into the other two. My hope is that when people come to visit they can have the small bathroom (did I mention the one with the mirror was also the smallest?) to shower and get ready all to themselves.
9.) Clean out my truck!! I am embarrassed to admit it has been a looonngg time since I've done this, it has to be done before it gets much colder or else it probably won't get done at all, and that is not an option haha.
10.) Finally, lots of new little random decorating and revamping around my house. Monies have been tight for various reasons since moving in and now that I have a tiny breathing room (and Pinterest!) I want to start decorating more and maybe reorganizing little things.

There you have it, terrifying isn't it? Don't worry, I think my goal is to finish these (except that last one anyway) by 2013, that gives me three months. If I can't get it done...well that's just sad haha. Some things will take an afternoon, some a day, some...a week? But I am determined to finally get them done. In a perfect world, I'll complete them by Thanksgiving so I can just enjoy the holidays crafting away in my new room. I won't hold my breath but it is the goal I am ultimately shooting for, so long as life doesn't get too hairy in the meantime. So, join me? Cheer me? Come to my house and crack a whip over my head? Any takers? :) Wish me luck!