Well, today’s assignment was a breeze — especially compared to yesterday’s!
After
Since we don’t have a medicine cabinet in any of our bathrooms, we just keep the medicines in tubs in the bathroom closet. The top tub is for children’s medicine and the bottom tub is for adult medicine.
The things I found to get rid of or that needed to be put away elsewhere — including an empty bottle of nail polish remover. 🙂
And for my relaxation assignment: I planned my grocery shopping trip for tomorrow, took the children to Target, and am going with Jesse to a couples’ campout with some friends of ours. Should be fun — even if Jesse and I chickened out and decided not to stay the night. 😉 {Well, we didn’t exactly chicken out — I promise! — it was moreso that we realized doing this plus ice-skating lessons plus the (in)RL meet-up tomorrow might be overloading our weekend — something we try hard not to do.}
How did you do on Assignment #20? I’d love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.
Heidi says
got some really great ideas here for some quick cleanups. I took an empty coffee can and wrote down all the jobs that need to be done and added a few of my own on seperate pieces of paper. and on my days off i will pick a few out and do them. maybe that will help keep up on the housework that needs to be done around here.
MonicaBerry says
Yes, thanks for this! I only have done about four of the assignments, I got sick about day two or three & didn’t get back on track until towards the end, but I plant o go back & do the rest now! I don’t know if my house is just too big, or I’m just horrible at time management (more likely) but I don’t know how you get so much done every day!
Crystal irvin says
Ok, it’s killing me….. I haven’t seen any posts since the day 20. I following u so I dieing to find out what’s for the rest of the days. I haven’t seen any posts for the 21st!! What’s up?
Crystal says
It was only 4 weeks, 5 assignments per week, so there were only 20 assignments total and it’s done now. My apologies if that wasn’t clear from what I wrote in my posts!
Esther says
Crystal,
I just wanted to thank you for the series. It was just what I needed to get things done around the house. Before you started your series, I kept thinking I needed to do my spring cleaning–which, for me, meant taking 2 or 3 days off work and scrubbing the house from top to bottom. I just didn’t feel like doing it and that left me feeling so guilty. However, your series came along and broke it into bite size pieces and for that I’m grateful! I’ve managed to get everything completed except for washing the windows. Thank you so much! I can’t wait to see the new series that starts tomorrow!
Crystal says
Way to go! And thank you so much for your kind encouragement!
Jackie K says
I’ve stumbled across your site just this last month. LOVE this 4 week organizing prompt. I’ve scheduled myself to follow this in May, adding the daily action to my google calendar each morning.
Thank you!
Linda says
I’m with the others that say, please don’t stop this! But I don’t plan on stopping trying to get rid of 7 things a day! I have gotten rid of more “stuff” in the last month!
Crystal says
I know many people are continuing to do it on their own, so definitely feel free to do so. And, to help you out, in the next day or so I’ll be posting a free printable list with all of the assignments!
Jen says
Thank you Crystal for this great series. I’ll be honest, I came it late and was so overwhelmed with other things that I’ve only done a few of the assignments. However, it has been inspiring to read about cleaning and decluttering on a daily basis because it certainly needs to be done in our home! The assignments are stirring in my brain and just a couple of hours earlier I decided to tackle the microwave. What I thought was going to be a simple wipe down turned into a much more intense cleaning. But it is clean, I discovered I should be changing a filter every 6-12 mths (it’s only 5 yrs overdue!), and being up on the ladder made me realize cleaning the fan and ceiling vents need to be next on my list! I will be printing your list and using it for reference as I plan to take on my house in the coming months! I am also excited about the morning routines that I have established and feel that it just makes the day go so much better when I’ve taken that time to pray and make a list with all my daily goals. I’m looking forward to the May challenge whatever that may be!
Carol says
As a nurse I would like to advise that you should not keep meds in the bathroom – the steam and moisture can deteriorate the quality! They should be kept in a cool, dry place, like a kitchen cabinet away from the stove, or in the bedroom. A powder room would be fine as well.
Shelly says
I was so glad this was assigned. I got all my medicines that had expired out and I dropped them off at our sheriff office at the take back event. I missed this last year, so I am glad I was prepared this year.
The kids and myself also made some granola yesterday afternoon and then some chocolate chip cookies after dinner.
Looking forward to what you have planned for next month.
Thanks for hosting this it really helped to motivate me to do some jobs around the house I never look forward to doing.
Susan says
I just wanted to add that I’ve always understood that it’s not a good idea to store medicine in the bathroom. (Not sure why it’s called a “medicine cabinet.”) It’s better if medicines are not exposed to the changes in temperature and humidity that normally happen in a bathroom, if you can avoid it.
A cupboard in the kitchen or other closet is better. I store meds in a clear storage box, similar to those pictured, in a kitchen cupboard. I was watching Dr. Oz last night, the episode where he takes viewers into his home, and he stores meds in his kitchen also, for the same reason.
I’ve loved this series too Crystal, and I hope you can continue it beyond 4 weeks. I have plenty of house left to purge and organize.
B says
This is very true. I work in pharmaceuticals and when we do stability, it is usually worked so that it longest stable parameters are not in a high humidity/high temp environment, which the bathroom usually becomes. Its also important to throw them out when they are past the expiration date. Although some may just lose a bit of potency, others can start to form degredants that could be harmful.
Meredith says
I’m so sad it’s over! I’ve gotten more accomplished than I ever imagined. This has been one of your best series yet! Thanks so much for helping me get even more cleaned and organized. can’t wait for the next challenge. I really enjoy challenging myself!
Crystal says
You are so welcome — and I’m so thankful it’s been helpful for you. It’s been SO good for me, too!
Toni says
Do you have a stockpile of additional meds, Crystal? If so, how do you store those? We’re struggling to come up with a good system (we don’t have a medicine cabinet either.)
Crystal says
We have them downstairs on a high shelf in our hygiene stockpile closet.
charity crawford says
Please Oh please don’t stop this series!!!
lori says
I really enjoyed the series as well. I didn’t get all the tasks done each day, but making weekly goals and a list of 5-7 things to accomplish each day has become a habit I look forward to, and I am more productive for it.
I am going to make a list of the tasks I missed and I am hoping to “catch up” over the next few weeks.
I am looking forward to seeing what the next challenge will be. Thanks for keeping us motivated!
Tracy Francis says
I also plan on tackling this series as soon as our homeschool co-op is over. Do you think you’ll have all 20 assignments put in one place that might be printable? I was hoping to put it on my fridge and tackle through it! 🙂
Crystal says
A printable list is coming next week. 🙂
Tracy Francis says
yay!!! I will be doing 2 assignments a day during the first two weeks of June! I can’t wait!
We are hoping to get the house ready to move in the fall, so thinking this will get me in the “mood” to downsize and get everything ready!
Jan says
I was going to ask this too thanks!
Ami says
Thanks for this series. You are teaching me to be a better goal setter, and that’s my favorite thing about your blog…right now, anyway! You’ve had lots of interesting goal-setting info, but this series did the most for me, even in areas other than cleaning.
Camille says
I’m really going to miss the assignment of the day. Thanks for the inspiration and helping to make life a little less cluttered.
Margery Hilburn says
I think this is such a great series Unfortunately, I am really crazy busy at the end of the academic year with two kids in private school and one homeschooled.
I resolve to work through these challenges on summer break, as soon as I submit all my final homeschool paperwork! So glad I can do it when it works better for me!
Danielle B says
Thank you for such an awesome series this month. I can honestly say this has been THE most fun, encouraging, helpful, and inspiring “thing” I’ve read on your blog since I started three years ago.
I still have three assignments to finish up, which I hope to tackle tomorrow. I spent today reorganizing my closets again. Last night I put five more Wal-Mart bags in the back of the van. With all of that gone I was able to condense things down even further. I have cleared out almost half of the closet in our master bedroom! I’ve never had this much free space since we moved here four and a half years ago.
After condensing things down, I was able to further organize my children’s bedroom. I’m absolutely tickled by how cozy, organized, and clutter-free their room looks now, even with three children’s things in one tiny bedroom. My husband came home from work today, and when I took him upstairs to show all I had done, he said, “Woah!” He just kept looking around in disbelief. 🙂
I also scrubbed and cleaned our car, since we’re trying to sell it. That took up my afternoon time. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll finish up my last few assignments so I can start May’s challenge fresh….whatever that challenge may be!
Crystal says
I am SO grateful it was a blessing to you!
Danielle B says
It definitely has been! 🙂
Stephanie says
I hope (in)RL does another one, I can’t attend this one because of other commitments but I SOOOOO wanted too!
Brianna Shore says
Just wondering about your medicine. I have a toddler that has just recently started climbing things and I was considering a lock box so i don’t have to worry about her getting into the medicine. I noticed yours isn’t in any child proof containers. Do you not worry about your little ones getting into them?
Sarah says
I got a lock box for vitamins in the kitchen, but for our meds upstairs or prescriptions, I also have them in a Tupperware box like Crystal, but we have baby proof locks on the cabinets they are in.
Crystal says
So long as the medicines themselves are in childproof containers and are high up, we’ve never had an issue.
Victoria @Snail Pace Transformations says
I am going to an (in)RL meeting tomorrow too! I just want to meet some other bloggers in real life. I have a great group of real life friends but none of them blog and all though they try to be interested they get lost in the “bloggy jargon” . Also recently a lot of them have returned to full time work outside of the home, and their time table is just so different than mine now. Just finished watching the at home portion of (in)RL it was good. Thanks for such a great series! I made a cookie cake for the children and I to celebrate keeping up these past weeks, you have to click through and see it! I am not much of a cake decorator but I thought it turned out pretty good.
Chelsea says
Is it too late to sign up for that meet-up now? I completely forgot about it until reading this post.
Crystal says
No, it’s definitely not too late. We’d love to have you!