Fridays? Grrr!!!

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This year, with Mr. Man's new schedule and the growing kids' desire to be little litterbugs, my Fridays have become a day I don't look forward to.

It's the most hectic since field trips, competitions, concerts, deadlines, fees due dates and budget reconciliation-- all fall on this day! It plain bites! And then there's the cleaning...

For example, this morning, I spent over 10 minutes picking up in the smallish kiddos' room just to get all the stuff strewn on the floor! And since our ex-guest/free tenant set the bad example of "dining en suite" by sneaking out snacks from the upstairs pantry, I also saw empty snack packs on the floor! (can you say fuming? She's already gone and yet I'm still cleaning up after her mess! Grrrr!!!)

So for "correction tactics", snacks were rescinded for today, all laundry have to be done tonight, bed was made (my way), clothes are being folded right after the dry cycle and dinner is simple and they had to help. I figured since they expended their brain and body energy into being "mischievous", I am within my parental rights to "redirect it" and make them productive!

I will achieve two things-- clean space and clothes (albeit temporary) and clothes sorted out to what fits now and next year. Simply, more reduction and organization compliments of their laziness and sneaky ways!

It is true, opposition is needed in all things... It cures complacency and deceit- in my house anyways...

Gotta love my kids!

I'm Grateful For... #17

Clean rooms!!! For the past six months, we have done nothing but plan, sort and reduce every room in our apartment. Frankly, I'm sick of it, but it's gotta be done, you know?

See the above picture, as embarrassing as this is to show, I want to prove how stressful this swap had been for me alone. This is the short work, I mean short- only 1 month, of two busy teenage girls, a month after Kila moved in back in mid-September! I was so shocked when I saw this room that I had to take pictures to believe it myself! After I managed to close my mouth and breathe again, I put my foot down, opened our wallets, got in the van, made Lowe's and Ross rich and saved my sanity. For their consequence, I made the girls work all night on Halloween after we got back from trick or treating! I made sure the main bones got put in place before we called it quits; but until now, completion is still ongoing. (Darn multiple schedules!)

Our smallish kiddos swapped their two daybeds for a full bed and moved into the girls' room and vice versa. Kila and L now have their own beds while the kiddos share one bed. Surprisingly enough, my room redesign was on the money! Mr. Man was impressed! (So am I! LOL)

Here's a sneak peek at our Room Swap: L-Infinity's side

She needed her own shoe cubby... and had to choose only 18 pairs out of over 20 she's got! (The sandals on the top end are giveaways.)
Mr. Man put up shelves everywhere and we organized her clothing...
Then I had the hubs put in individual sconces for each girl and more shelves.

Tonight, I gathered her clothes to be washed and straightened up the closet (took off the sliding doors that kept getting jammed and replaced them with drapes) and her bed. We found cute polka dot matching blanket for her and Kila (hers is dark brown). As you can see in the picture below, I put their bed backs against each other, and soon it'll be further separated with more drapery. Each girl has a desk and they share the closet (halved by stackable plastic bins) I kept the color scheme neutral and earthy since this is just to keep us all sane before we move!

It's still a work in progress as Kila is still figuring out how to "dress up" her side of the room. But L's is simple, organized and will be continued to be streamlined for maximum space output. (I can hear the bigger storage groaning already; oh. well...)

How do you like it? I want to know so let me know, ok?