word for 2008: organize

this year i'm vowing to organize my home. some websites i have found inspiring:

organized home - i find the cleaning master list especially helpful
rockin' granola - love her household binder!

i am also tweaking my household binder. i removed the homeschool section to its own binder. i want to make an 8 week focus clean rotation section so each week i focus on one area (this week is kitchen) and i do tasks in that room that don't get done daily or weekly (clean inside fridge, dust ceiling fan, straighten shelves, etc). rockingranola rotates her pages each week so the current week is on top. i like that idea.

i am in search of martha stewart's homekeeping housebook to purchase for cheap as i have really enjoyed reading it for great cleaning tips. gotta love martha!

hopefully, i'll be able to organize the garden/canning better this year since sage is getting older. on my january to-do list is to make a list of vegetables/fruits we eat and figure out how i can up the production of them so that we buy less from the grocery store and farmer's market. i need to get our grocery bill down.

i want to make a list of things i can make (and have in the past) and start making them again such as tortillas, bread, yogurt, cheese, etc. we buy too much that can be made and i feel like it's pure laziness that has kept me from doing it.

i plan on writing out my 2008 goals soon. i just haven't had the desire to be online much and it seems when i am online, i'm juggling nursing babies which makes it hard to type (part of this post has been typed one handed).

i also would like to make a list of healthy snacks that are quick and easy to make that i can post on the fridge so that when we get the munchies, we are not reaching for cookies (which are not in the house often) and my weakness of sundrops (organic m&m's) and almonds. i'd like to cut out snacking on the sugar bombs. i love those coconut/date bars from trader joe's. i need to recreate them as they are very sweet and help cut that craving when i have it.

the biggest challenge is to actually refer to the binder. i'm a bit lazy about dragging something out and cracking it open. i hope to designate my kitchen table as the binder location so i can always have it open for reference. currently, the 3 things i use the most that stay on the side of the fridge are my monthly calendar, my weekly to do sheet from donnayoung.org and my monthly menu calendar that i created for myself. i think by redesigning it and putting in things i need to have nearby (stain remover care sheet, commonly used recipes, menu choices, weekly focus checklists and schedules, etc) i will use it more often.