Organizing This House - The Downstairs Playroom & Closet

As I am sure most of you can imagine,

being a stay at home/homeschooling mom

of four kids

means LOTS of STUFF!!!

I have always had a hard time managing 

their toys.

In our house in NC, 

we had an AWESOME playroom.

It was HUGE!

We had a lot of toys up there,

but somehow the kids spent more time

downstairs with us.

So again,

I tried to manage it.

We went through a couple of different ideas

and settled on two small 3 shelf book cases from Wal-Mart.

We actually bought one, then bought another later

because it worked so well.

They made the move to Texas with us.

We have a loft/game room

here bout 1/3 of the size of the one in NC.

As expected,

there are more toys downstairs

than there are upstairs.

That is really fine with me 

because we still have a little one

and I like to be able to keep an eye (and ear) on the littles.

We added a large 5 shelf bookshelf to the two little ones.

But there was just NO order to the toys.

No place for them to live except literally thrown on the shelves.

I needed something to put the toys in on the shelf.

So I was on the hunt...

and have been randomly looking for years.

But on a small budget.

I have mentioned this before,

but I have all these great ideas for organizing our space

and if I had an unlimited supply of funds,

I could do SOOOOO much!

However,

unlimited fund are not our reality...

and I walk a fine line of 

making what I have work

for as long as I can.

And like many others,

I get this overwhelming NEED to bring 

order to this house

(occasionally).

I am sure my husband 

would prefer that this was an 

"all the time" feeling

instead of an "occasional" one!

Except for the fact that it usually

requires assistance from him...

And our kids have so much stuff all over the place

they rarely play with it because they 

can't really tell what they have.

The thought is to bring more order to the space,

put bigger toys away in a closet.

Out of sight, out of mind, 

then they become new again

when they are brought out!

And nothing is ever easy!

I wanted to clean out the rather large closet under the stairs.

It is a great space but was just used as storage.

So first we had to come up with somewhere to put 

all the stuff that was cleaned out of this closet...

The boys closet took half of the stuff from this closet.

The closets in this house run the length of the rooms

down one wall,

with sliding doors to access them.

Cleaning out the boys closet was almost an 

entire day project itself!

I started on a Friday by clearing out the

downstairs closet

under the stairs and putting all the stuff in the 

middle of living room.

Best way to get it done quicker!

That Sunday we tackled the boys closet.

Then shoved all the Christmas stuff from the 

under the stairs closet onto one of the 

side areas of their closet.

So repurposing the downstairs closet,

led to organizing the boys closet,

then organizing Ms. Priss' closet...

And I am just getting started!

After putting the larger toys

and toy sets into bins:

GeoTracks

Wooden Trains & Tracks

HexBugs

Marble Run

Weebles

etc...

They were moved into the now

empty closet under the stairs.

Then we were left with the smaller toys.

What to do with those?

Again the hunt started.

I needed some sort of basket or bin

to go on the shelves to hold the smaller toys.

I was at the point that I really didn't care what

they looked long as long as they did the job.

I found some that I thought were perfect at

The Family Dollar.

The price was right

so I figured I would give them a try.

I love the color it added to the shelves,

but I could get a total of 4 on each bookshelf.

And there was too much leftover room.

Then meandering for the umteenth time

down the storage aisles in Wal-Mart

I finally stumbled upon 

something that might actually work.

Similar bins as the ones above,

but the dimensions were a little different.

And they were black.

Wasn't crazy about the black

and wasn't sure if they were going to work.

Then I got them home and realized they were 

MADE for these shelving units!!

UGH!

Why had I not seen these before???

I only bought one set because I was skeptical

they were not going to work.

Within 24 hours I was back at Wal-Mart buying 3 more sets.

And those bad boys held a LOT!

I was able to fit 3 on each shelf and fill them UP!

It didn't take long to figure out that I was going 

to have to label these bins somehow.

But HOW??

This is what I came up with,

they are super cute,

but they are not secure at ALL.

The pictures aren't the best - sorry.

I was able to grab pictures off of Amazon with white background

and found this cute black and white polka dot border.

They are laminated and secured with velcro dots,

but the adhesive on the dots,

doesn't adhere to the bins well.

So within mere minutes of taking the picture

of them all perfect and centered...

Here is what they looked like.

I straightened them back out and this was the 

final product.

This lasted about a week before we rearranged again!

We added a second large bookshelf,

but it is still a work in progress,

so no pictures of the update yet.

I am pleased with how the shelves look 

and the amount of toys that are hidden!!

Organizing This House - The Kids' Closets

Along with our stay-cation last week
I have been really busy attempting to 
Organize This House!


There is really no easy access to the attic in this house.

So we are not using it.

Our attic at home was very utilized!

Luckily there are nice sized closets in this house.

So first order of business is to make better use of

the space in the kids closets.
Well ALL the closets!

Then we can put more long term storage in them.

There is a LOT of closet space in this house.

The closets run the span of the rooms with one set of

sliding door and then little "caves" on each side.

None of them are currently being used to their

full potential.

Tackling the Boys' Closet:

The first thing we did was completely empty the boys closet.

There were no less than 5 bookbags

and 2 unused lunchboxes in there!

Then we have the parts bunk their beds,

theirs bunk in an L shape, not the standard way.

Then I attempted to start some sort of 

organization a few years ago

for all of their halloween costumes.

I had a plastic bin

but they all just got thrown in there.

We sorted through them and put them each in their

own ziploc bag and labeled them.

It is not unheard of to have 

Batman or Spiderman

or a Ninja randomly running through
our house house on any given day.
So now all the pieces are together,
so we have a fully garbed 
Batman
SpiderMan
or
Ninja 
running around!  

Let's see how long they last like this.

The other cave side of their closet

now houses ALL of the Christmas decorations.

They all fit nicely over there

and there is still a TON of unused space in their closet.

BUT - 

I do not want to overload it and for it not to function.

So for now - 

we will keep trying to 

put the "finishing" touches on it

and 

Keep It Neat!

(HA!)

Ms. Priss' Closet

After tackling the boys closet,
I ventured into Ms. Priss' room.
Again - HUGE closet,
not being used to its potential.
The first thing I had to do was to start pulling stuff out.

When each of the boys got kicked out of the crib,
they went straight into a "big boy" bed -
full size twin bed.
The bottom of the set of bunk beds we had.

When Ms. Priss got kicked out at the age of 18 months,
we decided to splurge (with a little help from Grammy)
 on an
ADORABLE
toddler bed for her.

She loved it -
so did I!

When we left NC, we really couldn't decide
whether or not to take it with us.
I didn't want to get rid of it,
I wanted to give it to my married
yet childless sister
and attempt to keep it as a
family bed.
Cause it is just THAT cute!

See!!

Last minute, it made the trip with us out here to Texas.

Since Ms. Priss' room was now the guest room too,

she got a big girl bed.

We actually found a great bed on CraigsList 

that was a full with a twin trundle.

PERFECT!

The tiny bed wound up in Ms. Priss' closet while

we figured out what to do with it.

I found the above picture from our house in NC,

and put the bed on CraigsList to sell.

It was a HARD decision,

but I really couldn't justify keeping it.

So on CL it went.

I pulled it out and decided I would try

and put it together to make sure all the pieces

had made the trip.

Well this just created a problem...

Ms. Priss was BESIDE herself about that bed!

After, two trips to the hardware store

and 

two days straight of hearing

"Mommy, will you PLEASE fix 

my tiny bed"

It finally got put together,
I made the trips to the hardware store,
I put 80% of it together,
but DADDY happened to put the final
pieces together and
put the canopy on,
in the presence of his daughter
so HE got all the credit!!
How does that work???
(haha!)

Needless to say,
she hasn't slept in her "big bed" since.

And the bed has been officially taken off
of CraigsList!

I think she likes it,
she even remembers her old room
and
I think her little brother likes it too...
Too bad I can't pass it down to him!

Organizing This House - The Game Plan

When we moved into a rental,

we knew we weren't going to be here long.

So we haven't completely unpacked.

There are still TONS of boxes 

shoved in closets & the garage.

We have all but decided

we are going to stay in this house for another year.

The price is right and we aren't really 

sure what we are going to do in another year.

So since we are staying a little longer,

I am going to attempt to organize the 

boxes and stuff a little more

My desire for order comes and goes.

Sometimes I seriously just feel so defeated

I don't really care.

Then I get aggravated (or motivated) and try to do something

about it.

But I am "frugal" and don't want to go spend

a bunch of money for storage solutions.

But you will often hear from professional organizers that

Everything needs a place.

With that in mind...

I am going to try and find a place for everything!

And it is easier for EVERYONE

if you know where everything goes!

Stuff is constantly getting misplaced

because it doesn't have a home.

I am going to use this blog as my motivation

to keep this desire for order going!

This will be a feature

that I hopefully will be able to keep going.

Another motivation,

is totally financial too...

there is a TON of stuff that we need to get rid of.

We got rid of a lot of items before we moved...

A LOT!!!

But not enough,

we moved a lot of unneeded items 

because I just couldn't go through and 

get rid of it all 

while managing 4 kids 

and trying to keep the house spotless

while we tried to sell.

So a lot of items got shipped so I could

deal with it here...

Well - its time to deal with it!

Once we have gone through one box at a time

and pulled out what we are not keeping

and repacked what we are...

We will figure out what to do with it:

Garage sale

Craigslist

Donate

And to be honest - 

there are a few things that I am just having a hard

time getting rid of.

Like the infant car seat that all 4 have been in...

I was planning on selling that

and the bases

and the stroller

all as a set.

But I think I want to keep the single stroller

a little longer.

Its is a nice stroller and in great shape.

(This is a big problem for me, ask my husband!)

So I have developed somewhat of a game plan

for organization...

The Game Plan:

* Clean & organize boys' closet

* Clean & organize Ms. Priss' closet

* Clean & organize Mr. T's closet

* Re-purpose downstairs closet

*Organize downstairs playroom

* Organize laundry room/pantry

*Clean & Organize Small Master Closet

* Clean & Organize Large Master Closet

* Reorganize Upstairs Loft/Game Room

The problem I have is budget.

I have tons of great solutions and great ideas,

but they all cost more money than I am willing to put into each project.

So my goals has always been to figure out what to do

then find a way to do it as cheaply as possible!

I am not scared of work,

I am not scared of DIY,

we are very much DIY-ers in this house!

My biggest "problem" - 

BUDGET!

Wish me luck!

In the meantime - I need ideas on how to label these

fabric bins...

I would like them to be changeable, but not easily.

I have velcro & a laminator but 

Mr. T will rearrange them for us,

so not keen on that idea.

What other ideas do you have?

Budget & kid friendly 

but will look good in a main

living area.

Thanks in advance!!

Spring Cleaning & Bird Update

Unintentionally,

I am teaching T how to help with laundry...

one article at a time...

that was the longest washer to dryer transfer

I have ever witnessed in my life - 

but he enjoyed it!

(and NO my laundry area does not

ALWAYS look THAT bad!!)

Then mommy actually let him push the buttons to start it!!!

We start 'em young around here!

Speaking of laundry...

Saturday, when we were getting ready for

our last baseball and soccer games...

my dear sweet husband commented on the 

amount of stains on our oldest boys

white baseball pants.

I smiled and said:

"Well, when I tried to get them super clean

back at the beginning of the season,

YOU told me not to.

Because you said it made it look like

he rode the bench and didn't actually play

enough to get dirty"

Oh you should have seen the smirk on that man's face!

His reply - grinning ear to ear...

"Ha, well that sounds like something I would say

but I don't remember saying that".

Well ya did dear, and I did as you asked...

I sent my son to games with stained baseball 

britches cause you wanted to make sure people 

knew he PLAYED!

Hahahaha!!!

Here are our little sports stars with 

their medals.

Unfortunately, I was helping pass out trophies for

R's team and I forgot to get a picture of him

and his medal 

(and dirty pants)

Last week, R has discovered my blog 

- so he spent quite 

a bit of time over a 2 day period catching up

with what was going on in his life!  

Gotta make sure I continue to keep it R friendly!

(haha!)

And finally -

 a bird update:

They have all outgrown the nest.

But they continue to come home almost every night to sleep.

The babies perch on the rim of the nest,

while mommy and daddy hang out on the porch ledge.

Then one of the kids accidentally picked out

the perfect book for us to read after lunch last week:

It is about how Clifford finds a robin egg

and he and Emily Elizabeth take care of it til it hatches

and then release it back into the wild.

Super cute story to wrap up our baby bird watching!

Man those things grow QUICK!!!

Invigorated, Motivated & Inspired!!!

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending 

the First Annual 

San Antonio Catholic Homeschool Conference

I got in on the "ground floor" of this event 

and was even able to help out a little.

Since we do sports with the kids on Saturdays:

2 soccer games and 1 baseball game,

Daddy agreed to fly solo for a bit 

while I went to the conference for a little while.

When I originally presented him with the idea

I proposed being at the 8am soccer game,

leave from there and go to the conference

then meet him back at the field 

for the 2pm soccer game.

The day of, things changed a little.

I left when they left for soccer

and went straight to the conference

then missed the second game.

Unfortunately...

but it was worth it 

(mostly).

There were quite a few break out sessions

where they had speakers 

on different subjects:

Organization

Reluctant Readers

Preschoolers

Frugal Living

Schooling Multiple Ages

Homeschool Graduate Panel

Homeschooling High School

Special Needs

Gifted & Talented

and quite a few more...

I did not get to go to all of them,

but they did make audio recordings of each session

that will be available shortly.

I will be getting a few of them!

I did get the opportunity to go to the Organization one

and made LOTS of notes!!!

I had already been headed down the 

"I need to get more organized"

path 

and had ideas of things that needed to be done,

but it was all in my head.

The biggest thing I learned in this session was to

Write it down!

Make a list!

So I did...

I am still trying to figure out how to best tackle this.

I have started carrying a spiral notebook around with me

that I am writing stuff down in.

It has definitely helped having things on paper

and making a list.

That way I can see what I want to get done

and I can cross it off and it feels GREAT!

I am still working on the boys lesson plans

for next year and getting them in Excel.

The plan there is for me to write down

or print off what their assignments are each

week and they will be responsible for getting it all done.

(with me helping my 1st grader, of course)

I am considering getting them their own "agenda"

as well - similar to what they had in PS.

Still figuring this one out though.

I am also trying to figure out how to do a weekly 

schedule for our family. 

We will have a basic daily one

with EVERYTHING listed out

from sun up to sun down.

And since no two days are the same in our house...

we will adjust times based on the daily activities.

So I am trying to figure out how to manage that without 

doing a full fledged schedule every week, 

just amending the previous week's schedule .

Then this will be prominently displayed in the kitchen

for ALL to see.

Like I said - still working on this one though.

But I have started at least writing it down in my 

"handy dandy - notebook".

I have thought about turning another zippered binder into 

my life on paper.

Back to the conference:

I went to two other sessions,

didn't get anything "earth shattering" out of the second one.

The third one was about preschoolers and 

I got a bunch of great resources for both 

me and the kids from her.

(I have befriended the lady who presented and already

valued her opinion on items and picked up some tips from her)

From her I decided I wanted to look into these things:

Letter Factory Letter Sounds Board Game

*this series of DVDs and "stuff" are a huge HIT in this house!!

unfortunately this game appears to have been discontinued 

now what??

(just did a quick hunt and it is available on ebay - might have to look into that!)

The Power of a Praying Wife

The Power of a Praying Parent

by Stormie Omartian

(I am excited about these - it appears she also has a

devotional to go with Praying Wife!)

Small Steps for Catholic Moms

by Danielle Bean

*this too looks like it is not currently available

(luckily it is pretty far down on my "to read" list)

Hot Dots

(but these are kinda pricey - so I might have to wait on these)

I also got to spend a little time 

"manning the chapel"

for adoration and confession.

That was a new experience,

and I have to admit I was a little nervous.

But it was wonderful getting the opportunity

to spend an HOUR in there

by myself

"sans kids".

WOW!

Then I was bad and skipped my second child's soccer game

to listen to this man!

Dr. Ray Guarendi

I had never heard of him and wasn't planning on staying for him.

But everyone I spoke to seemed so excited about this fella.

So I figured I would stay

(at this time, I thought I would be able to see him, 

then rush out and make it to the last part of J's game -

but I was off on J's game time by an hour - oops!

yes, it was in my phone at the correct time

don't ask)

However,

I am so thankful I stayed.

His credentials are outstanding

and I recall reading somewhere

that he did some stand up comedy, maybe??

He was HILARIOUS

and RIGHT ON!

Sometimes I do feel like we are in the minority

(which we probably are now-a-days)

in how we raise our kids,

but I honestly think they are going to come

out a little better off for it.

So its nice to hear that we are not alone...

I hustled out of the room planning to run to J's game,

but stopped by his "table" real quick to look at the books he 

had mentioned.

I would up purchasing 3 things from him.

And then jumped behind the table to help him.

He didn't have back-up 

and 

people were asking questions

and 

waving money around

and 

wanting autographed this 

and 

pictures of that

(well pictures of him, but "that" sounded better).

So after I played cashier, 

I hurried back down to the vendor hall

(aka - gym)

and 

purchased a few religion books from Seton

that were very highly recommended

and I wasn't completely happy with the religion

we were currently using.

We will see how this goes.

I think I will use both

and make sure I pick out the pages that correspond to the same

lesson out of each book.

Then I finally saw that my hubby had sent me two texts:

2:23p - Are you coming?  Game is half over already

2:35p - Game is over

But I am really excited about the things I picked up

from Dr. Ray:

What Catholics Really Believe

Marriage:  Small Steps, Big Rewards

(not that I think we need it, cause I think we have it pretty good,

but it can *always* be better!)

and this DVD

Why Be Catholic?

I can only HOPE that he has the same humor in this

DVD as he did in the speaking engagement at the conference!

I am so excited about these books!!

I have started reading 

"What Catholics Really Believe",

but only gotten through the first 2 pages (twice).

BUT, with my new found desire for 

some sort of order in this house,

I have,

yes *HAVE*,

successfully set an alarm 

and gotten out of bed BEFORE 6:30a

3 out of the last 5 mornings

#4 - I was up around 7am to get ready for church

and 

#5 - well, no comment on that one.

(3,4 out of 5 ain't bad!)

So I think I have been doing well!

Downstairs, showered and ready

before I see or hear my beloved children.

So, 

baby steps 

(again)

but 

gotta start 

SOMEWHERE!  

So much to do....

So little time!!

Especially when you are as unorganized

as I am lately!

The sad thing is, 

I have all these great ideas

and ways to fix it!

Just the implementation,

that is the hard part.

I have finally decided on the 

books for our schooling next year.

Yes, I flip flopped

and 

second guessed

and 

considered returning ALL the books

I had to go with a different program.

But in the end, I chose to use what I have

and just "complete" my set.

We are mainly using Abeka,

with Catholic religion and crafts/art

thrown in.

I have a VERY ambitious list for this year

of things to accomplish.

I will post more later.

In the mean time, 

I have a TON of updates for you

because things have just been nuts

the past week.

(I know you have missed us)

We just got back from a quick

mini-vacay

to the Dallas area

(more on that in another post)

and rolled back in here at 11:15pm last night

(Tuesday).

Daddy was up at 5:15am

and off to work.

(Bless his heart!)

I am still thinking about trying to get up

before the baby forces me out of bed...

THINKING about it.

But, dern it, 

I desperately NEED to do it!

We had been using my husband's phone 

as our clock in our room, 

and he sets an alarm...

but it got really old not knowing

what time it was after he left and took his phone with him!

So I found an unused alarm clock in one of our 

still many boxes and hooked it up.

Then a few weeks ago, decided I would set the alarm for 6am.

Well, that was the plan anyways.

Apparently I set it to 6PM!

It didn't wake me up the following morning for some odd reason,

but I didn't care enough to do anything about it.

Then the kids were terrified to go upstairs 

because there was a beeping noise.

Hubby figured out it was my ill set alarm clock!

So since you guys helped me get on track with the budget

and reading that Dave Ramsey book...

I figured I would recruit you to help me 

get the kids school lesson plans into excel

and a daily family schedule & chore chart

going. 

I attempted it a few months ago and got a GREAT

little weekly chart put together, 

but don't keep up with it much.

I think I need something to write on...

or check off...

I have LOTS of plans and LOTS of ideas.

So keep me in check,

please!

Let's see how this goes.

1) Get boys lesson plans/schedules into excel

2) Create a daily schedule

3) Create chore chart

(or resurrect the one we have)

4) Get my butt out of bed!

(I want to do a devotional, work out and shower

before the kids get up - but I so love my sleep!)

5) Find a daily devotional that I will enjoy

(so I stick with it)

See, its daunting!

But something HAS to be done!!!

Couponing and Cooking and Recycling

*Disclaimer - no kid pics this time and just a little randomness*

I am NOT one of those 

mega-couponers

but I use them when I can.

I used to be a lot better at it than I am now.

But also used to get a lot more unnecessary items

than I do now.

I got tired of my unorganized accordion coupon file folder thingie.

So I joined the ranks of the women walking the 

grocery store aisles with those huge

3 ring binders full of coupons

in those clear pocket thingies.

I joined those ranks months ago while

we were still in NC, 

then proceeded to lose it during the move.

Finally found it again and revamped it.

(along with my meal planning and grocery shopping)

Down here - this coupon binder is not

as widely seen as it was back home.

I get stopped multiple times when 

I am in the store and asked about my

coupon binder

and complimented on my organization.
(hahahah!!)

So I figured I would share.

Here is my handy dandy zipper closed 3 ring binder:



(yes its red, go Pack! - that and they didn't
have purple)

I *highly* recommend the zipper kind.
That way you can shove stuff in there and zip it in
and not risk it falling out everywhere.

I also recommend lots of pockets,
to put more stuff in:
pens, scissors,
unfiled coupons
(that you can file during dance class -
not that I ever have time to actually do it then)

(note on the scissors - make sure you keep
the whole thing out of reach of your 3 year old,
otherwise, she helps you cut out coupons
and decorates the outside of your binder
with a few cuts to the pocket and zipper,
leaving on of your zippered pockets
USELESS!)


(that is not funk on the left side, its the flash - promise)

I found trading card holders at Staples.
You can use the business card ones
but these were a little bigger and
I could see the coupons better
and didn't have to fold them
as small..

Back home, I would go to the store

once a week.

Buy stuff that was on sale

and plan around that.

There were no real meals

"planned".

I tried it but didn't stick with it 

and was ALWAYS making changes

based on what we did or didn't have on hand.
And did the typical 5pm
what's for dinner tonight
dance around the kitchen,
pantry fridge freezer, pantry fridge freezer
what do I have all the ingredients for??

Down here I plan out a full 2 week menu

and I buy accordingly.

While I am creating the menu

(in an excel file),  

I fill in a shopping list

on the same worksheet 

and have it categorized

and organized by how my store is laid out.

Then I keep a spiral notebook at the front of my coupon book

and hand write my grocery list on that.



I also have a paperclip attached at the top of the
grocery list page in the spiral
notebook.
This is where I put my coupons as I
put the product in my cart.
Then when its time to pay...all of them are stacked right there.



I also make my list in one color
and mark it off in another.
Makes is easy to see the items I am missing,
cause even though I am shopping by myself,
I still somehow manage to skip items!

It takes an hour (at least)

to prep for my trips to the store.

The whole process takes up the majority of every other

Sunday afternoon.

BUT,

it works!!!

On this week's menu:

Sun : Burgers, Carrots & Fruit
Mon: Fiesta Chicken & Rice
Tues: Honey Jalapeno Chicken with Soba Noodles
Wed: Leftovers
Thurs: Sizzling Korean Beef, Rice & Sesame Broccoli
Fri: Taquitos
Sat: Early Birthday Dinner for R
Sun: Mini Vacation
Mon: Mini Vacation
Tues: Mini Vacation
Wed: Mexican Confetti Casserole
Thurs: Coconut Ginger Chicken
Fri: Leftovers
Sat: Burgers, Carrots & Fruit
Sun: Rotisserie Chicken

So I will shop for the ingredients I don't have.
I overdid it a few weeks ago, so I have all
the chicken I need (except for the rotisserie).

And here it is Wednesday and I have rearranged
the list twice already,
BUT
not a big deal,
I have all the ingredients!

And when we go on our mini vacation,
I will take whatever I can to prevent us from
eating out for EVERY meal.
Cheese sticks (cheddar block cut into ~ 1oz sticks)
Cut up fruit
Muffins for breakfast
yogurt
nuts
crackers
and probably a couple
pb&js
parfait ingredients
(a total hit in this house now!!! -
we made pear/plum ones a couple of days ago)

This is the plan anyhow...
we will be back and forth
attending 3 different sporting games
on Saturday,
so we will see how much of the above I actually
get done before we leave.

Then, as crazy as this is...
I have to share.
I am a little ridiculous when it comes to recycling.
I am not the worst (er, best) at recycling,
but I try, really hard!

We have been using those little green bins for YEARS,
then I saw that some towns
have started using those bigger rolling containers.
I was so excited and wanted one!
My hubby was getting tired of the overflowing one
he had to put at the curb once a week.
So it arrived and I was SO excited!!!
The absolute best part...
it tells you on the lid
EXACTLY what they take!!!
Each city is different,
but this one gives pictures,
and descriptions
and numbers!

Last week,
we filled ours 3/4 of the way up!!
I was so excited!

And hubby likes it too,
he doesn't have to fight with the overflowing bin.
After the big thing was delivered,
he informed me that he
had been throwing the overflow in the trash.
AAAHHHH!!
The horror!!
I would have rather lived in the land of the
ignorant than known that.
Oh well...
I got my big ole rolling container now,
I am happy!