The 52 Week Organized Home Challenge

I came across the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge on one of the great blogs I read.  Jessica bravely showed before and after photos of her counters, which caused me to take a look at my own counters.  I sure wish I hadn't, because here's what I saw:

At least the dishes on the counter are clean; we had just finished breakfast.

I'm pretty good about keeping the "cooking" part of our counters clean and clear, but we have two areas that tend to collect junk.

One spot is the end of the counter were we dump our mail.  Andy likes to put his mail on his chair in the kitchen, but he forgets about it and then when it's time to eat, he throws it on the counter.  This is a constant battle between the two of us. Our solution was to purchase a hanging mail holder.  Unfortunately, the mail piles up in the hanger and that darn mail ends up back on the counter.

Oh my word...coupons, a few stray Christmas dishes that didn't get put away, a cookbook, earmuffs(?), Andy's wallet and watch, file folder games for my classroom and other miscellaneous junk. Hi Sophia! :)

 The next problem area is the top of the microwave.  This is the bane of my existence. I don't know why we have this stuff on here.  It is just a dumping ground for random things we need to deal with. It's usually where I throw things that I found on the counter and needed to move so I could cook. It's a vicious cycle!

What in the world??? I have no words.

I cleaned up the problem areas and emptied the mail carrier.  We filed the paid bills and other paperwork.  All in all, it didn't take too long, it was just a matter of putting things away.  The hardest part is keeping up with it.  Some things are just going to always be on the counter and that can't be helped, like Sophia's bottles, which we keep filled with water, ready to be mixed, and the bottle drying rack.

I decided to check out the rest of the challenge and it seemed like it was pretty reasonable.  I mean, I can clean something in my house once a week.  Now a daily challenge? No way. Ain't happening.

The challenge is ongoing, so it's never too late to start.  I'm hoping that I can keep it up to help keep our home organized.  With these kiddos, we need it!