Organizational Tip- Entry 2

I was hoping to have posted this yesterday. However, Addie bumped her head pretty hard on Monday night. I called her doctor immediately who told me to keep an eye on her for the following 24 hours, but that this would be the beginning of all of the bumps my little girl would have (gee, thanks!). Needless to say, I did not sleep Monday night except for a couple of hours (it did not help that Brian was working out of town that night).

Addie woke up with an enormous amount of energy, and I could barely keep my eyes open. As soon as the doctor's office opened on Tuesday morning, I called to let them know I was coming in. Of course, the doctor told us everything was fine, but I was still overly cautious.

Today, my baby was teething, had a runny nose, and would not nap (we finally just got her to sleep for the night). On days like these, I really appreciate our schedule and how smoothly everything usually runs because of it. Days like these also bring my heart to its knees in prayer. I realize that I cannot get through them with out the strength that God gives me to get through the rough times, the speed bumps, in life. And they remind me to pray for our family, not just in the rough times, but also during the good times when everything is just humming along smoothly.

The Pantry: Now, onto our organizational tip/idea. We have a pantry in our kitchen where I keep many of the items we use frequently or things that have been opened and cannot be stored in the garage any longer. The picture shows our pantry after having taken the following steps to organize it.

• Completely empty the pantry, putting everything on your counters and table (depending on how much room you have) by category. My categories were breakfast, Addie's food, snacks, seasonings, rice/grains/pastas, paper goods, baking things, miscellaneous, and fruits and potatoes. During this step, throw away anything that is old or past its expiration date.
• Clean the floor and baseboards using the same method as with the hall closet.
• Decide where the best and most convenient places will be for you to return your items to. I keep placemats and some appliances on the top shelf, breakfast and Addie's food on the next shelf down, paper goods and snacks on the next shelf, rice/grains/pastas and miscellaneous next, seasonings, oils, and baking items next, and oranges and potatoes (in their bags) on the floor. I also keep clips on the rungs of the top shelf for easy grabbing when they are needed.
• Put everything in its new spot where you will be able to find it and in a place that works for you and your family.

I hope this little step helps you feel like you are taking a huge step in the right direction for keeping order in your home.