TACKLE IT TUESDAY

I'm almost embarassed to post the "before" picture, but hey, I'm keepin' it real!! According to Fly Lady, this would definitely be considered a "hot spot" for me! This is our small hallway closet that houses the sheets, towels, and some of my two younger boys clothes. You can imagine how much gets taken out, put back in the wrong spot, dropped, unfolded...you get the picture! Well, every so often I will purge the clothes that are too small or have not been worn. I obviously have not done it since last summer, and I was surprised at how much stuff was in there! I did not hold onto the "what if they do wear this one day" mentality, but just threw it in a big garbage bag to give to charity. I even got rid of sheets that I know I would no longer be using! So, without further ado, here is the before and after!

Before (see the massive pile of clothes on the bottom)

After (the floor is now bare)!

To view more tacklers, click here to visit 5 minutes for mom!

TACKLE IT TUESDAY

Welcome to the "fireplace/homeschool area/playroom" all in one! This is where the kids computer is set up, but the older kids are the ones who mainly use it to check on their lessons for the day. I will use it too when somebody else is using my computer in the living room. They don't usually stay in this room to do their schoolwork. They may be in the kitchen, living room, and sometimes in their rooms working on their subjects. But, this room is also used by my younger kids to play with their toys, jump off the couch, and leave all their junk behind. Gotta love 'em! It's normally the three younger kids who leave a trail, but my older ones have a bad habit of leaving empty wrappers and books on the desk..ugh! It was lookin' pretty horrid, so I knew it would be the perfect Tackle It Tuesday task!

I had to shut the curtains because the sun was just beaming in there!

Wow, it really looked that bad?

Those costumes are all actually in a basket. You just can't see it. We've got practically every character you can think of. Buzz..got it! Batman..oh yah, definitely got a couple of those. Star Wars guys? Check! Superman? Of course! Indiana Jones? Got him too! Did you say Hulk? Most def!

My two younger sons "backpacks." What's in there? Of course...light sabers!

AHHH...ALL DONE!

There's the basket I told you about!

My son's "had to have a toolbox" is now the home for their action figures, and the other two boxes have blocks and random toys in them.

To see other tacklers, click here to go to 5 minutes for mom.

YUMMY BANANA MUFFINS!

I love to bake!! I especially love anything baked with banana! Since I was up way earlier than everyone else, I decided to make some banana muffins (this was yesterday morning, btw)! We had a couple of bananas that were, you know, turning "dark", so I knew they'd be perfect! I think banana cake/muffins are the easiest thing to make! They turned out so moist and yummy!!! Next time I'll have to double, maybe triple the recipe since this only made one dozen. With five kids (and myself), we managed to eat 10 of them in less than 30 minutes! I had to hide the last two so my husband could try them!

Here is the recipe I used from Allrecipes! FYI, I added a dash of vanilla extract and cinnamon to kick it up a notch!

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

Go check out more Tackle It Tuesdays here at 5 Minutes For Mom!

TACKLE IT TUESDAY

It's disgusting how much "stuff" can accumulate behind and under the refrigerator!! I wish I had taken "before" pictures before I started cleaning, but I was on a serious mission and I didn't want to stop! It did cross my mind for a second but I just thought, "The heck with it!" I figured I could do another tackle for next week! Anyway..I'm just amazed how things can get "under" the fridge too! I found a plastic spoon, a brochure, part of a train track, magnets, and an Uno card! Go figure! Well, I love looking at the finished product and promise to maintain it more consistently!!