This Year's Organizing Projects - due 10/31

I'm not sure if it's a nesting instinct or just a general urge to do spring cleaning, but I have such a strong desire to spend time cleaning and organizing the house. Unfortunately, I don't have the time right now to focus on this, and due to our latest round of home renovations, our house is particularly messy. I'm sure that's contributing to my frustration.

So I thought I'd channel that frustration in a more productive manner by making a list of the organizing projects I want to tackle. It will make it easier for me to work through the list and feel good about getting things done. I will also be easier for me to do some of these things after the house work is complete, and who knows when that will be. I hope I'll be able to do some of this when I have time off of work and while my new little babe is sleeping, but perhaps I'm not keeping the exhaustion of the early days in proper perspective. We'll see. I'm still giving myself a Halloween deadline, because I absolutely know I need to be as organized as possible when I return to work. Some of these things have to be done earlier due to other factors, as noted below. I'm also not including the biggies such as setting up A's new bedroom or cleaning the nursery in preparation for the new baby.

Here's what I have so far:

1. Clean out sock drawers. Match up or throw away singles. Get rid of holies.

2. Break down and get wood hangers for our closet.

3. Clean out/organize medicine cabinets. Throw away everything that's expired.

4. Spend a couple weeks organizing meals around pantry items that have been there a while and need to be used up. Donate any other old and unused items.

5. Rotate winter/summer clothes. Donate any unwanteds. (Okay, this one obviously has an earlier deadline.)

6. Rotate summer/winter clothes. Donated any unwanteds.

7. Donate all my maternity clothes. (This one can't be done until my regular jeans fit me, so fingers crossed that I can make October.)

8. Organize bathroom drawers.

9. Clean out kitchen junk drawer.

10. Get rid of excess/old tupperware/containers. Return a few to Mom-in-law.

11. Clean out recipe binder - eliminate recipes I haven't tried yet or didn't like.

12. Donate my wedding dress. (Seriously, family - if someone wants this, speak now or forever hold your peace. It's a beautiful dress, but I really don't want to see the huge box any more.)

13. Organize all our books on bookshelves. Prioritize and donate anything that doesn't fit on a shelf. (This can't be done until bookshelves are in and painted.)

14. Clean out the car. Load a CD case with driving music. (The cleaning-out part has to be done before we install car seat #2.)

15. Organize kitchen cabinet containing all my baking supplies.

16. Freecycle our old grill.