One Year to an Organized Life

Now for fantasy time: unclutter your life in one week!

2011-02-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

I just reviewed an organizing book on my book blog. Although I found it lacking (especially the one-week idea!), it did give me some continued inspiration.

It also helped me kick up my brutality a notch. Last night I was decluttering in our family/play room, which is inevitably getting trashed. Nicholas (4) had gotten into the games closet again and dumped a lot of games on the floor. Many of these got recycled or dumped into a "donate" bag. So did many toys. An acquaintance recently gave us a child's work bench and a basket of wood pieces, thinking our boys would like it. Last night I suggested to my husband that we donate it to Nicholas' preschool because our kids have hardly touched it since it first arrived...and the wood pieces end up getting scattered around the floor. I'm determined to conquer the "SMALL PIECES PROBLEM"! Well, at least tame the monster a little bit.

And yes, I realize if I were a better mother, I would engage my children in giving away these toys and games, and I would find a way to convince them that this is going to result in a simpler, saner home. But anyone who suggests that either has children who are saints or does not have children. I'm taking the easy way out. Out of sight, out of mind.

Feeling brutal!

2011-02-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

It's one of those days when I feel like throwing out (or donating) tons of stuff. I wish I had the kinds of kids who willingly gave stuff away. It's not that they never do that--in fact, Kieran agreed to give away a robot he got for Christmas a few years ago--but if they knew what I got rid of, they wouldn't be very happy with me.

Mike peeked into my Goodwill and garbage bags this morning, and pulled out a Santa costume a friend made for Nicholas a year ago last Christmas. It's getting too small for him, full of pills, but he still does wear it when he comes across it. My theory is: out of sight, out of mind. But he will probably go looking for it.

My dishonest parenting methods go like this:

Kid: "Where did _____________ go?"
Me: "I don't know." (which is, honestly, the truth, even though it's just shades of the truth)

This approach came back to bite me recently...as I think I got rid of a "High School Musical" CD last year sometime. Chris and Kieran were both into HSM when it came out, and we had the CD and DVD. But when I came across it, I figured that it was definitely OUT (it's not as cool to like HSM as it was when they were younger), so OUT it went.

Wouldn't you know? The middle school spring play is "High School Musical" and Chris has to learn a song from the soundtrack for the audition. I am not absolutely positive I got rid of it, but it rings a bell. "I don't know, honey."

Words of wisdom from my mother-in-law

2011-01-29T11:32:00.000-08:00

After reading my recent post, she sent me this helpful list of shelf life for herbs and spices:

Spices, ground: 2-3 years
Spices,whole: 3-4 years
Seasoning blends: 1-2 years
Herbs: l-3 years
Extracts: 4 years (except vanilla, which lasts indefinitely)

Good to know! She also informed me that dried-up prunes can be soaked in boiling water overnight... "they swell up and you can make a compote from them. Good at breakfast with yogurt. However it is probably late as I note that you have thrown them out..."

Yes indeed, I do not plan on fishing through the garbage for them! Oh well--next time I will try the soaking-overnight method for dried-up fruits.

The skeletons in my cupboard (expiration dates and rancid nuts)

2011-01-27T15:26:00.000-08:00

Last night I purged and reorganized our microwave cabinet, the spice/canned goods/oil and vinegar cupboard, and the dishes cupboard.

I found a Costco-sized bag of raw almonds hidden away behind other stuff, rancid. When will we learn? Almonds seem to go rancid easily. What a waste of money!

I also got rid of some kind of Trader Joe's sauce (pecadillo?) that had an expiration date of 2005!!! How did I miss that last year? (Guess I didn't look at the date and still thought I would use it.)

I also found some kind of Indian marinade without a date on it, but I know we've had it in the cupboard for years. Out it went. I don't think it would have harmed us if we had used it (my oldest son is very concerned about expiration dates, though!), but it was time to go. We tend to keep our herbs and spices past their best times...and I know they lose their potency, but I don't think they do us any harm. I'm too thrifty to throw everything away.

I have a bag of culinary lavendar I bought a few years ago at the Farmer's Market. I used it once to make raspberry-lavendar muffins, but they were disappointing. Wondering what I will do with this lavendar or if I should dispose of it.

Maybe I will really get my kitchen organized in January after all!

What's lurking in the cupboards...

2011-01-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

I still haven't completely given up on my focus on the kitchen in January. It's still January, right?

Last night I tackled one of the kitchen cupboards. I didn't take before-and-after photos because I thought I had done that last year...but it appears that I didn't. :) Oh well. It was the cupboard containing baking staples, rice and pasta, Japanese foodstuffs, lentils, dried fruits and nuts, etc.

I found FOUR unopened packages of this: Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pancake mix. I combined them all into a ziploc bag and will store it in the freezer. Just goes to show what gets hidden in jumbled cupboards. I got rid of a variety of other items too--prunes that were too dried out to be edible, wild rice that had never been eaten, root beer extract that we've had for years and have never used, etc.

Onward!

One simple work organizing task, used with great success so far

2011-01-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

I'm reading an unfortunately named book this week, Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy.

Three of the simple principles of Tracy's I've put in place this week, two days in a row so far:

I'm starting out each day by making a list. It's simple--in MS Word, with four columns: priority, task, due date, and status. The next day I dupe and revise the same list (and delete what I've accomplished the previous day).
I am prioritizing the items A, B, C, D, or E. Tracy recommends that you not do ANY "B" items until you accomplish all of your "A" items. This is based on the principle that you must do the important things first (hence the title and unfortunate image about eating the frog). Obviously, as the days pass, some of the B items will move up to become A items. (By the way, "D" stands for delegate, and "E" stands for eliminate.)
When I have another task to accomplish, I add it to the list. He recommends not doing anything that is not on your list. Clearly, I've got to use some judgment. I wouldn't get much done if I had to write down every little e-mail before I responded to it.

So far, these techniques are helping me stay on task. I've always been a list lover...but I do have a tendency to get distracted from my goals, so this is helping me stay focused.

I have to confess that writing this blog post was NOT on my list. It was a 5-minute distraction. So back on focus!

I'm certainly not giving up my comforter!

2011-01-11T22:28:00.000-08:00

Take a gander at this completely ridiculous article in the Wall Street Journal, no less.

The author, Sara Ruffin Costello, proposes that we all throw out our comforters and replace them with blankets.

HELLO? It's the bleak midwinter in most of the country! Where does Costello live? Even Florida is experiencing record-low temps right now.

As Costello writes, "Many aesthetes have been reconsidering the down comforter, some banishing it altogether." A set of sheets and a "coverlet" (such a snob...) just do not do it during the cold weather.

And I've never had a smelly comforter. Makes me wonder what on earth she has done to hers.

Her last words are that "Housekeeper or not, I shan't be revisiting my ex, Duvet, unless I find myself in a house without heat." Ironically, the link to the article right below this one is titled "See Energy Steps to Take for a Less Pricey Winter." How about using a fluffy, warm comforter instead of a thin blanket?

P.S. Just took a peek on Google for the author. Apparently she and her hubby put their VERY STYLISH west village townhouse on the market earlier this year for $13 million. Now, does this look like a warm, cozy, inviting bed? I think not.

Never empty a dirty dishwasher (or load a clean one) again!

2011-01-05T17:47:00.000-08:00

Do you ever empty the dishwasher when it is dirty or load clean dishes into a dirty dishwasher? I'm notorious for it! We have a very small dishwasher, and we rinse our dishes pretty thoroughly before we load them in.

I absolutely LOVE this tip found at parenthacks.com and have already passed it along to Mike. I'm hoping he can remember to apply it!! It is so simple, you'll wonder why you didn't think of it yourself:

When you empty the dishwasher, refill the detergent cup. If you open the dishwasher and see soap, you'll know the dishes are dirty. If there is no soap, they are clean.

20 iPhone apps to help you get organized!

2011-01-05T17:29:00.000-08:00

I joined the iPhone revolution last summer after some initial skepticism. What made me take the plunge was that my company changed its cell phone policy and began requiring employees to take on their own cell phone accounts. (Previously I had a BlackBerry.) In addition, I wanted to have a way to combine my iPod with my cell phone, plus have enough memory to keep all my music on one device. (I couldn't do this before with my iPod Nano.) When the iPhone 4s came out, the prices for 3GS phones began to come down. Now I have a 16-GB iPhone 3GS.

Because I'm so cheap, I haven't purchased many iPhone apps--I tend to go for the free ones. About the only ones I've bought have been BlogPress and Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. I'm using a free iPhone app to record what I eat--it's called "Lose It!"

So I'm always on the lookout for great free apps that will help me become more organized. Working Mother magazine has just released its "20 Best iPhone Apps," many of which I've uploaded. CardStar lets you store loyalty and library cards in one place, and Tango Card keeps track of your various gift card balances (and reminds you to use them)!

The one I think I'm most excited about the app that allows you to take photos of your sales receipts, Shoeboxed. I can't stand the amount of paperwork we seem to collect in our house, so this could go a long way toward eliminating that.

Making effective new year's resolutions

2011-01-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

Happiness Project author Gretchen Rubin provides some excellent pointers on how to make effective new year's resolutions on her blog.

I like the way she thinks. She suggests that we think about what would make us happier. Fortunately, the resolutions I've already made (record what I eat and spend, paint my bathroom and other rooms in my house, write more personal notes and birthday cards, try to be more patient and loving with my family) all would make me much happier. And ultimately, getting my life organized both at home and at work--and living more intentionally at all times--would definitely make me happier!

One Year to an Organized Work Life, Week One: Chart the Course

2011-01-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

I bought One Year to an Organized Work Life last year but just cracked it open today. I'm gung ho again to get my life organized, and as I have some different and new responsibilities at work, it's a good time to begin this book in conjunction with the original One Year to an Organized Life book.

In Regina Leeds' introduction to January, she gives us two habits for the month:

Work Habit of the Month: Leave Your Desk. This is an EXCELLENT place for me to start. I'm very guilty of working through my lunch, and my back often suffers as a result. I need to leave the office every day, either to go to the gym or to take a walk. Or even just to walk up and down seven flights of stairs (I work on the seventh floor). I think I will start today by walking downtown on my lunch hour.

Home Habit of the Month: Make Your Bed. Check. Already doing this every day. Yay!

In Week One, Leeds talks about how easy it is to find yourself flying on auto pilot, without charting a course for your day. Again, this is me. I'm hoping that the changes in my job responsibilities will supercharge my energy, organization, and motivation to get myself off of autopilot and be more intentional in how I work each day.

She poses some questions for us to ponder, such as the following:

Where am I now? I am extremely lucky to have the job I do. I get to use my English degree, and I get paid to write, edit, and communicate. I didn't intentionally set out this goal (to work as a writer/editor in an engineering/project delivery firm), but I'm happy to be here. I've been at my company for 20 years now and it's a great place for me. I love my coworkers, and I'm never bored.

How did I get here? I taught English in Japan for three years after graduating with a B.A. in English Lit. After I returned from Japan, I started temping while I was looking for a job in international relations. I was hired as a temporary receptionist/admin. assistant, and I then discovered that my company had an editing department. That's how I got my start. I fell into it, just as I fell into leadership and management three and six years later. Overall, I feel fulfilled and challenged in my work.

What do I love? I love what I do, most of the time. I love taking on projects and doing my best. I love finding ways to help people do their jobs better or more efficiently. I love mentoring people and helping them reach their goals. I love helping others communicate effectively.

I often tell my coworkers and direct reports that they need to examine their current work situation on a regular basis and ask whether they are happy in their job more than 50 percent of the time. Being happy in one's job 100 percent of the time is unrealistic. Most people will have days or projects that are not that exciting or fulfilling. The most important thing is to be happy as much of the time as possible. I've always told people that if that's not happening, they need to get out.

Leeds then advises us to make a list of our passions and think about how to incorporate these into our work lives.

My passions (related to work):

Expressing my creativity
Helping people reach their full potential
Communicating, or helping others communicate effectively
Streamlining processes or ways to get work done (again, helping people)
Doing my best work

One concrete way I can think of to incorporate these into my work life is to get off of autopilot and be more intentional each day (and not get distracted too much by non-work things). Another is to review each of these at the beginning and end of each week to see if I've been successful.

Reflections on the year (from Regina Leeds)

2011-01-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

Questions from my organizing heroine Regina Leeds' first post of the year on her One Year to an Organized Life blog:

Did you do anything different this year that yielded great results? Make a note so you remember next year!

I decluttered throughout the year. I will continue this in 2011, in an attempt to keep on top of the clutter, but I will also try to go back to the book and be more methodical about it.
In the same vein, were there things you realized after the fact could have been done with greater skill, joy and dispatch? Record those notes as well. No point making the same mistakes next year and asking yourself: "Why didn't I remember that ...?"

As mentioned above, I'd like to get back to being more disciplined and methodical in my decluttering and organizing, as I was when I started this blog.

Are you 'done' with some aspects of the holiday? For example would you like to see another family member host the big holiday meal? I'd wait a few weeks and then have a conversation with key family members about how the holiday can be different next year. Make a note on your new calendar to make those calls. Without a reminder, it will go by the wayside like most good intentions.

Nothing really comes to mind. I don't feel particularly overburdened during the holidays. We did have to holiday gatherings, but both of them were our choice and I enjoyed myself immensely, even though the preparation was a lot of work.

The other thing I'd like to do in 2011 is make more of my own gifts. This doesn't work very well for small children, who often want the latest and greatest toys, but it's a wonderful option for adults. I made a few gifts this year, but I'm always wanting to do more because I really enjoy making gifts...and so many people appreciate them.

Finally, was there something in your home that wasn't organized and caused you problems? Were the holiday boxes falling apart? Or were they stored in such a way that you had difficulty reaching them? it's the little, petty annoyances that can rob you of the potential joy in any experience. Tend to those details now. Do it as a present to yourself. Next year you will be so grateful!

My organization annoyances are not really concentrated on one room or in one area. I will feel more rested and satisfied when more of my house is organized in general. Another factor is finding a better way to get my 4-year-old to pick up his toys after he plays with them. We are not very disciplined about that...and it seems that whenever we clean up the living room, it soon becomes cluttered again!

Making and breaking resolutions

2011-01-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

Day 2 of 2011, and I thought I'd already broken one of my resolutions, but upon further reflection, I guess I didn't. I've found a way to help meet another resolution, and I've added one more!

How I nearly broke one: my visiting mother-in-law offered to take us all out to dinner to our favorite Chinese restaurant, Shanghai Noble House. We've been going there since Chris was a baby, and it's truly like "Cheers," where everybody knows our name. We hadn't been there for a long time (because we are trying to eat healthier), but it was like old home week. They brought us extra crab meat rangoons, free soup, and free almond cookies. Talk about a warm welcome. The food is not the healthiest...as is the case with the yummiest Chinese food. I can't resist the General Tso's Chicken or the Honey Prawns, although we also ordered some seafood and vegetable dishes and Moo Shoo Chicken, which comes with lettuce wraps (a bit healthier!). I was feeling guilty about eating Chinese food on Day 2 of trying to eat healthier, when I realized that my resolution was not to eat healthier, but to write down what I ate. As a result, I did not order beer with my meal...and I was more careful about portions. It still wasn't a particularly healthy meal, but I'll get back on track tomorrow. (And I'm NOT going to taste the almond cookies!)

How I found a way to help with one: I registered on the online financial site, Mint.com, which synchronizes with your credit cards, investments, and checking account. I also have an iPhone app for it. So once I get the hang of the site, it will help me TREMENDOUSLY in tracking our spending...since we use credit cards or checks for most of what we spend. We also need to be more religious in giving the kids their allowance in cash rather than IOUs...hear that, honey?

How I decided to add a new one: I did not have my best parenting moment today. I lost my cool at the mall, when I should have counted to 10 (or 100) and considered how I would react to a parenting challenge. In the heat of the moment, I sometimes forget the impact my words or tone have on my kids. Chris made a mistake today, but so did I. I apologized and told him that I would try really hard not to overreact in the future. So one more resolution. I think I'd better post these in a few prominent places to remind myself! This one is probably even more important than painting the bathroom. :)

New year, new goals

2011-01-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

My husband noted yesterday that his blog roll on his blog changes order, depending on which blog has been updated most frequently. My other blogs, Every Day Is a Miracle and Marie's Book Garden, are often at the top of the list, but One Year to an Organized Life is always at the bottom. Touche. It seems I haven't been very organized lately.

In fact, we madly cleaned the house for my mother-in-law's extended visit over the holidays, and we've cleaned it again a couple of times for some holiday gatherings. (Even though cleaning can be a pain in the neck, entertaining is one fine incentive to get your house cleaned!) The study is in passable shape, but it still hasn't been completely marked "organized" so I haven't posted photos yet.

Here are my plans for 2011--I know I made some similar goals at the beginning of 2010, but you can't fault me for trying!

1. Finish renovating our bathroom. It still looks like we're in the middle of painting--because we hired painters and they did a shoddy job, so we have begun prep work to do it over but haven't finished--for 4 years. Yes, isn't that scandalous? I'm airing all my dirty laundry now. The tiles have never been properly sealed, we need a new bathroom vanity, and the trim hasn't been painted (even for the first time). This is the top priority for my life in 2011.

And shortly after that, paint the remaining pink walls in this house. I despise pastel pink, and these walls are not even pastel any more. They are more of a dirty pink because of the kids. Our house would look so much nicer if we were to paint a number of the rooms, including the ones we've already painted but years ago. In order: bathroom, downstairs hallway, upstairs hallway, upstairs bathroom. Then tackle the kitchen. I'll be lucky if I get half of those accomplished, at the speed I go!

2. Write down everything I eat and spend. I've finished January 1 by tracking my food on "Lose It" (an iPhone app) but am off to a bad start at the spending. I ran to Fred Meyer to buy some fish and other groceries before dinner, and after going through the self-serve checkout, I neglected to grab my receipt. I will have to pull it off our credit card bill and backtrack. The ultimate goal, of course, is to be more deliberate about how we are spending our money and save more. And of course, eat less and more healthily.

3. Write more personal notes and birthday cards. As a child, I collected stationery and wrote a lot of letters. In the days of e-mail, people rarely send snail mail any more, but I know how much it is appreciated. So this is one of my goals, although not as high of a priority as #2 and #3.

How will I do? Wait and see. And maybe, while I'm at it, I'll actually start One Year to An Organized Life all over again! At least, three years in, it won't be as bad as the first time around. Haha!

Don’t let the holidays waste the planet

2010-11-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

Did you know?

Americans throw away 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Years Day? That adds up to an additional 1 million tons a week going to the landfills.
December 24 and 25 generate 3 billion extra tons of garbage each year. Gift wrap and shopping bags generate 4 million tons of trash annually, and most are not recyclable.
Half of the paper consumed in the U.S. is for wrapping and decorating consumer products.
The 2.65 million holiday cards sold each year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high.
At least 28 billion pounds of edible food are wasted each year (over 100 pounds per person).
About 40% of all batteries are sold during the holidays.

What can I do to reduce my holiday waste?

Send holiday cards by e-mail or use electronic greetings. If everyone sent one less card, we’d save 50,000 cubic yards of paper. Reuse holiday cards by creating gift tags.

Use newspaper, children’s artwork, or fabric bags for gift wrap. If every American family wrapped three presents in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.

Forgo the ribbon, or reuse it. If every family reused 2 feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet?

Shop wisely. Take reusable shopping bags when you go shopping. Purchase gifts with minimal packaging or ones that don’t use batteries.

Use less energy. Drive less and combine trips: if each family used 1 less gallon of gas during the holidays, we'd reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1 million tons. Encourage carpooling to holiday events. Use LED lights to reduce 90% of energy consumption.

Cut back on gift giving (read my other blog post on simplifying the holidays). Ask your friends and family to participate in “the Hundred Dollar Holiday,” started by environmentalist Bill McKibben and friends (participants limit holiday spending to $100). A national survey found that 70% of Americans would welcome less emphasis on gift giving and spending.

Produce less waste while entertaining. Send leftover food home with guests or donate to a shelter. Set up recycling stations at holiday events. Use cloth napkins and durable goods instead of paper and plastic. Offer water in pitchers rather than bottled water. Serve locally grown, sustainable foods.

Do you have any suggestions to share on how to green the holidays? If so, please leave a comment.

10 ways to simplify the holidays

2010-11-09T14:39:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the average American household spends $1,700 on holiday gifts and accessories each year and carries credit card debt of $15,788? Furthermore, the holidays can be a particularly stressful time of year, especially for women and people with lower incomes. Here is some good news, though: people can feel more love and happiness during the holiday season because they connect or reconnect with loved ones.

One secret to creating more happy moments and minimizing your holiday stress is to simplify your holiday traditions. You can start planning stress-free holidays now by making lists and organizing your family’s gift giving and traditions. Here are 10 ideas to consider:

Gift giving

1. Draw names for gifts or plan a yankee swap. We have a large extended family, and my cousins and I used to buy gifts for all of our children. Now we have the kids draw names, while the adults do a yankee swap.

2. Shop local. I like shopping in nearby Multnomah Village so I can get my gifts wrapped for free.

3. Make your own gifts. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to give wonderful, personal gifts. My friend Shelia makes unique, wonderful family gifts with her kids, such as a cookbook with their family’s recipes or a painted mirror with her kids' photos on it. Other ideas are tree ornaments or photo calendars. I've been known to paint glassware, do calligraphy calendars, or make candles or jewelry. Search the library or the internet for easy handmade gifts you can make. Making gifts can save you a lot of money, and the gifts are much more personal.

4. Give experiences instead of physical gifts. Last year we gave Chris and Kieran tickets to see “Rain” (the Beatles tribute band). Other ideas are theater tickets, restaurant gift certificates, sports events, trips to the beach or mountains, or movie tickets. When I was a kid, we would often get one "big" gift for Christmas--like a bike or a stereo. These gifts were nearly always secondhand, of course, but we loved them.

5. Give a donation instead of a gift. You could consider donating to a charity in lieu of gifts. Last year Mike and made a joint donation to Interplast instead of buying gifts for each other. Other worthy organizations are Mercy Corps, Oregon Food Bank, Medical Teams International, Water For People, and Pennies for Peace. A few years ago my sister and her family signed up to sponsor three children (matching their children’s ages) in developing countries through World Vision.

Holiday traditions

6. Give back to your community. Local organizations look for people to sponsor needy families. Try the Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, or Lutheran Community Services NW. Or surf Hands On Portland’s comprehensive Web site to find a volunteer idea that fits your family. The Children’s Book Bank is a great local charity that is always seeking volunteers and donations.

7. Plan low-stress holiday events. Can you say “potluck”? It’s the most beautiful word in the holiday dictionary. If you host gatherings, ask guests to bring a food or beverage to reduce your time and cash outlay. Or plan a cookie exchange with friends.

8. Look for opportunities to spend quality family time. We always go to the Macy’s Holiday Parade downtown (and it’s especially fun now that our Robert Gray Middle School student marches in it!). It’s a great way to start the holidays. We also like to go out into the sticks to choose a tree and stop by a McMenamin’s afterward.

9. If you live near Portland, take in some of the city's great entertainment. Check out Northwest Children’s Theater Company’s production of “Annie,” Portland Center Stage’s “A Christmas Story” and “The Santaland Diaries,” or the Northwest Dance Company’s Nutcracker Tea (a family-friendly, less-expensive, and condensed “Nutcracker”). Have you experienced traditional British pantomime? You don’t have to leave Portland to partake in this hilarious tradition. “Holly Jolly Hullabaloo” is great fun. And it’s FREE, FREE, FREE! (Can you tell how much our family likes the theater?). Pioneer Courthouse Square hosts a holiday ale fest, holiday artisan market, the “Tuba Christmas,” and a Christmas Carol singalong, in addition to tree and menorah lighting.

10. Spread out the fun. Who says that the holidays have to end on Dec. 9 (Chanukkah) or 25 (Christmas)? Our family has celebrated Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) with a tea party. We leave our tree up until Epiphany and continue my husband’s family tradition of leaving our shoes under the tree so the “three kings” can put a small gift in them. Some companies plan holiday parties in January when it’s less chaotic. Think about ways you could spread out your celebrations.

Here are some more resources:

http://www.newdream.org/holiday/
http://fun.familyeducation.com/holidays-and-seasonal-events/stress/35214.html
http://christmas.organizedhome.com/simplify-your-holidays
http://www.squidoo.com/green-your-holidays

What are your ideas for simplifying the holidays? Please leave a comment and share your ideas!

Nine steps to identify clutter

2010-11-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

This great list of "nine quick tips to identify clutter" by Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project) is not only applicable to clutter in our own homes, but it is also a good list to apply to potential purchases.

Our vacation habits in 2010 have set us back financially, in addition to preschool fees and costs for children's activities...and we are trying to be even more austere in how we spend our money.

I am going to print out this list and laminate it so I can carry it around with me!

Unclutter your wallet

2010-10-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

I just found this GREAT uncluttering blog called unclutterer.com. It provides daily tips on decluttering. (Why they didn't call it declutterer.com is beyond me.)

The tip for the day concerns those big bulky wallets people end up carrying around (like my husband). Is it really necessary to have so many cards in your wallet? The blog post suggests keeping another wallet in your glove compartment to hold your loyalty cards. You can just grab the relevant card when you need it that way.

I actually like the suggestion one of the commenters has: punch a hole in each card and thread them on a keychain, and keep that in your glove compartment instead. Others take photos of their cards and store them in an iPhone app. These are all creative ideas to declutter your wallet.

Apple harvest time!

2010-10-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

We have two apple trees in our backyard, and they typically bear fruit every other year. I wish the trees were on alternate years, but unfortunately all the bounty arrives at once!

Often we have more apples than we can use, and two years ago I am ashamed to admit that many of the apples went rotten, because we didn't get ourselves organized to do anything with them. (This is why this post is on my "One Year (or Five Years) to an Organized Life" blog!)

My parents handed down a large homemade food dryer several years ago, and we have dried apples in the past. However, it's powered by a lightbulb (and consequently takes a couple of days to dry the fruit), has to stay in the backyard because of its bulk, and has screens with wooden frames (that are difficult to wash). As a result, it's cumbersome to dry food. I decided that if I were really to actively dry fruit this year, I needed to invest in a more user-friendly food dryer. This is what I ended up with:

Nesco food dehydrator

I bought it at Fred Meyer--it was on sale for $45, and I had an additional 10% off coupon...so it was about $40. I put it to work immediately last night. The apples were nearly done by the time I went to bed, with an additional hour this morning to finish them off. SOOOOO easy! I think I'm going to have fun with it!

To prepare the apples, I used my trust apple peeler/corer/slicer, which I bought several years ago. It only comes out of the cupboard when we have a lot of apples. I LOVE this thing. It makes the process so much easier and faster.

The one downside to the food dehydrator is that it doesn't take the quantity that the homemade one does (although I could purchase more trays to do more fruit at once). After filling the dryer, I kept coring/peeling/slicing and made a pot of homemade applesauce.

I followed Mark Bittman's recipe (from my iPhone app of How to Cook Everything!), which consisted of cut apples in a pot with 1/2 inch of water and a sprinkling of salt. Then he offers suggestions for additional ingredients. I added peeled fresh ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a couple of spoons of brown sugar. It turned out great, and I won't be surprised if it's gone by Friday. Next time I will make more.

Purging, donating, and giving away!!

2010-09-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

In addition to the 350 pounds we took to the dump earlier this month, we have also disposed of:

A box full of alcohol and wine, including a fancy bottle that someone gave to us and Mike was hoping to save for the day he got published...turned to vinegar!
More kids' books--posted to paperbackswap.com, taken to the consignment store, donated to friends with a 1-year-old, and donated to the school rummage sale
Two strollers, a high chair, a play yard, and a crib (given to a friend)
Old dresser and wardrobe (that once held my own baby clothes!), given to the same friend when she saw them in our garage and asked us what we were going to do with them
A bike trailer...which we bought at a neighbor's yard sale YEARS ago and never used...our neighborhood has so many darn hills that it's hard to imagine being able to huff and puff up one of those hills hauling a bike trailer behind us...plus, Nick would rather ride his own bike now (given to the same friends with the 1-year-old, who live in a flatter, more bike-friendly neighborhood!)

We need to find a place to dispose of a pair of cross-country skis, which Mike acquired at a church rummage sale and has never used. They will probably be going to Goodwill.

Our garage is looking AWESOME. It's not completely photo ready yet...but soon I will post before and after photos.

350 pounds to the dump today!

2010-09-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

Today Mike spent plowing through all the junk we had accumulated in the garage, and I spent the whole day on the kitchen.

My great resolution to keep the kitchen counters clean has fallen to ruin.

The dishes had stacked up all over the counter, and it needed some serious, down-and-dirty TLC. I am happy to say that it's clean now...although every time I clean the kitchen I want to redo it. We've been living with the same linoleum, paint, etc., for 11 years now, and it's definitely looking worse for wear. The countertops are still in good shape, fortunately.

Photos tomorrow!

Spending less (and differently) makes people happier

2010-08-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

I've been off track in my organizing and not keeping this blog up to speed. Vacations and life craziness have gotten in the way, and I need to get back on the wagon.

The house and mess in it are getting out of control. Kids' junk piled up everywhere, the little boys' room is a disaster zone, and remnants of my organizing efforts (bags ready for storage or donation) are piled in hallways.

Recently I got an iPhone that has enough memory to house all my music. I downloaded as much as I could onto iTunes and am planning to offload tons of CDs. I've posted many of them on swapacd.com, and others I will donate. But that needs to be finished.

We have taken three vacations this summer: (1) 20th anniversary trip for the two of us to San Francisco, (2) trip to Orlando, and (3) trip to Vancouver BC. What we had in savings has now been depleted, and we're dipping into our home equity line of credit.

A friend posted this article on Facebook: it's about how people are much happier when they change their lifestyles to spend less. In a recent study, researchers found that spending money on "experiences" makes people happier, longer, than buying stuff. "‘It’s better to go on a vacation than buy a new couch’ is basically the idea,” according to Professor Elizabeth Dunn (from the University of British Columbia), citing the research done by her colleagues, Leaf Van Boven and Thomas Gilovich. The theory is that vacations and other experiences offer longer-lasting memories than new stuff, which eventually becomes old stuff.

This is timely information for us, as we have always spent a great deal of our expendable income on vacations and entertainment. It also reflects our lifestyle, in which we drive old cars and do not spend very much money on our house.

Our plan for the fall is to HALT THE SPENDING! I've started taking this very seriously as we have cut back dramatically on eating out, and I am trying to stay away from shopping. I will try to confine most of my shopping for clothing and personal items to my favorite consignment shop, where I can get credit for what I consign. Last Sunday Portland had an event I was looking forward to attending, Bargain Hunting PDX, where local craftspeople and vendors have a summer bazaar of sorts. Even though I had planned to attend, I decided not to in the end. However, this weekend is our neighborhood festival, and I love their annual sidewalk sale. I think I will inventory everything in my "gift box" before I go to avoid buying lots more gifts for Christmas--that tends to be one of my downfalls!

I continue to observe that most of what we own does not get used. And I need to remember that to avoid buying more things we are not going to use.

21 things you should never buy new

2010-06-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

Poor, neglected blog!

I like this article on Yahoo, 21 Things You Should Never Buy New. A few comments:

DVDs and CDs: I almost always buy these new, but I also do get them out of the library quite a lot, so I'm probably coming up even there.

Books: Typically, the only books I buy new are gifts. Otherwise I get them out of the library, at book sales, or my favorite: Paperbackswap.com. The recent exceptions are the final two books of the Stieg Larsson series, which I just bought new.

Video Games: Couldn't agree more...when I think of all the $ Chris has wasted buying and selling video games! We have bought some Wii games new, though, when we were too impatient to wait for them to come out used (also, some games rarely get sold back)...namely Wii Rock Band, Beatles Rock Band, Sports Resort, and Fit.

Special Occasion and Holiday Clothing: I've found great holiday dresses and boys' sportcoats and suits at my favorite resale shop, Katelyn's Closet in Multnomah Village. Haven't seen too many prom dresses, though, but I don't have to worry about that!

Jewelry: As you might know, I never buy expensive jewelry, so this is not an issue for me.

Ikea Furniture: Good point about Craigslist. Assembling furniture is no fun, although it is nice to have that great feeling of accomplishment at the end!

Games and Toys: I'm gradually learning not to buy very many games and toys for my kids, because so often they do not end up playing with them much. Buying them secondhand is definitely the way to go...but even then, I only buy inexpensive items because I don't want to waste my $.

Maternity and Baby Clothes: Why buy new, unless you can't find a particular item used?

Musical Instruments: I agree with this point in general, but after a lifetime of playing used musical instruments, it is great to have a new mandolin and guitar! But for kids, I would never buy new. We bought Chris' drum kit at a music store that sells used musical instruments.

Craft Supplies: One of these days, I will get to the Portland store SCRAP. But not until I use the craft supplies already filling my closet!!

Houses and Cars: Goes without saying. We've never owned a new car or house.

This article is a good reminder that many items depreciate in value immediately, or rarely get used and continue to be in good shape. It's easier to get more for your $ if you shop secondhand.

Making progress

2010-04-09T16:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging much here lately, but I have been making steady progress on my organizing.

The houseguests we were expecting from England (tomorrow) had to cancel their trip. (Lesson learned: if you have an early flight, do not rely on a hotel wake-up call! They missed their flight and KLM told them they'd have to pay for new tickets because they were "no shows," so they cancelled their trip.)

But I've made a huge amount of progress on the family room. I'm not completely finished yet--still have to clean off the top of the desk and tackle the games closet (again), but I should be able to post photos soon.

I assembled a cube system that we bought at Costco sometime last year, and we're using that for various Wii and video paraphernalia. It took me about an hour to completely detangle my son's PlayStation wiring. Ugh! Yes, I probably should have had him do it...but that is definitely not his strength.

It is SO MUCH nicer to do my Wii Fit Plus with a clean, uncluttered family room! Love that!

Biggest mistake you can make when beginning to declutter

2010-04-09T16:22:00.001-07:00

I just spotted this article on Yahoo: it says that the biggest mistake you can make when beginning to clean and declutter is to hit The Container Store and stock up on plastic bins without developing any kind of plan.

The purpose of the article is to talk about how important it is to be organized in one's approach, but I thought it was an interesting point because one of the things I've discovered in my decluttering is that we now have an excess of plastic containers, which we had collected over the years to store our clutter!

As we've been purging and decluttering, the containers have been piling up! I take that as a great sign!

My husband, the carpenter

2010-03-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

The Pacific Northwest rain seems to wreak havoc on our wooden fences and gates. We've had to replace several pieces in our fence, and our gate was completely destroyed a few weeks ago.

It began with a huge windstorm that battered it, and it was finished off by a friend of Christopher's, who apparently was practicing his tae kwon do on it...encouraged by Chris, I guess? He felt horrible about kicking it to its death...so he left $3 on Mike's pillow, thinking that this would help pay for its repair.

Mike spent about 4 hours yesterday working to repair it. I asked him why he didn't just use all new wood, but he said that he didn't want to be wasteful. I'm okay with that!

He also repaired the gate on the other side of the backyard, which wasn't in quite as bad of condition but needed some TLC.

Kieran was very helpful in helping Daddy to hang the gate. It's nice to have kids who like to help outdoors.

The oldest, of course, was inside the whole day, doing homework, reading, and watching video clips of Survivor. He's always been more of an indoor kid, which I can remember about myself...

After cleaning the kitchen and working in the yard, I made halibut tacos for dinner, with homemade refried beans and guacomole. They were delicious! Leftovers for dinner tonight.

This afternoon I'm going to work on the main level of the house, and this evening while watching my guilty pleasure, "The Celebrity Apprentice," I'll continue on the family room.

My little gardeners

2010-03-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a rare treat: we had nothing at all scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. From now through mid-May, we have commitments every single weekend. Of course, I always have much greater aspirations than I actually get accomplished...but oh well. A mother's (and organizer's) work is never done!

I spent most of the day cleaning the kitchen and working in the garden. I finally deadheaded the roses (only a month late) and weeded around them--our apple trees seem to be shooting out volunteers. Then I started in on the raised beds.

Since we just put them in last year and purchased high-quality soil and mulch to fill them, the weeds were pretty easy to pull out (helped by our wet spring, too). The kids really got into the act as well!

The biggest challenge was getting him to keep the dirt within the boxes! But he enjoyed digging around with his shovel. Kieran helped me by using the claw to loosen the dirt, and I pulled out the weeds.

Look at all those dandelions!! It's because we refuse to use herbicide on our lawn...we kind of let it grow wild. But it definitely could use a good mow, and some more grass seed.

Kieran brought out his scarecrow from storage. At this point, we're only scaring the crows away from some chives and herbs that wintered over--and the strawberries seem to have popped up again. Last year we only had a couple of tiny strawberries...wonder if they'll do better this year?

I really want to plant some organic blueberries and raspberries--anyone know where I could get ahold of those?

It's a good thing we tackled the beds yesterday, because it's raining today. I did go buy some lettuce and snap pea starts today, so we can start our planting when the rain stops! Next tomatoes and other veggies--the starts aren't available yet, but we might try out some seeds.

Last year we tried growing corn, and it looked gorgeous for awhile, but then it all died. I think it needs a huge amount of water. And of course, we continue to be complete zucchini failures. Neither we nor my parents are able to grow zucchini effectively.

More guilt...

2010-03-16T16:19:00.001-07:00

So remember the great photo organization project? Well, I have been merrily going through my photos, consigning bunches of them to "recycling." However, I am going to follow Regina Leeds' sage advice to put away my photo and cookbook projects for now and concentrate on the rest of my house (I guess I was too close to things to come to this conclusion myself...I can see myself offering the same kind of advice to someone else!). So I was putting away the photo boxes, containers of photos yet to sort, etc., and decided I'd better make sure that it is possible to recycle photos.

Guess what? It isn't. And I live in one of the most recycling-friendly cities in the U.S.!

According to Metro, the government agency in Portland responsible for recycling, photographs cannot be recycled because of the chemicals in the paper. So I've got one more thing to feel guilty about as I continue on my merry purging ways.

I've got one piece of good news, though. Portland has a place called SCRAP (the School and Community Reuse Action Project), to which I have yet to venture...since the last thing I need is more scraps!!! (My very crafty coworker/friend Amy told me about SCRAP! She likes exclamation points too!) It sounds like a very cool, fun place. One of these days I'm going to take a class there and perhaps use up some of my craft supplies! Anyway, I e-mailed SCRAP to see if they would be interested in old photos, on a whim.

The "creative reuse center manager" (wouldn't you love to have a title like that?) responded that they would take photos of animals, scenery, nature, art, etc. "Our customers aren't as interested in photos of people, houses, cars, and other more personal images." I think I'm going to take the lazy way out and not go through all the photos again, separating out the animals/scenery/nature ones, but I feel guilty about that too. From now on, though, I will start sorting. And will donate any upcoming purged photos to SCRAP. I've also developed a pile of photos to give away (to people who are in them), but I should probably do more of that now that I know I can't recycle them.

Not doing very well on my vow to stop multi-tasking!

2010-03-10T09:28:00.001-08:00

Here are the projects that are still ongoing in my household at the moment:

Finishing off the dresser transition (clearing off the top of my "new" dresser and finishing the organization of my clothes)
Finishing the great cookbook project (indexing all the recipes in the cookbook I made of family recipes and the ones I've clipped out of magazines and newspapers)
Moving stuff around in the dining room cabinets and the one that's now in the living room--many of the shelves are still empty
Completing the great photo project (I have photo boxes and have begun organizing decades' worth of photos into sections by time...but right now the family room is cluttered with photos, boxes, and photo albums--I started this during the Olympics but have a ways to go to finish)
Finishing the cleanup of the study (which got messed up during the holidays)

Not to mention...getting back into the groove of finishing the recleaning and organizing of the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom...

In preparation to move on to the new worst room in the house--the family room! And the kids rooms, etc.

But we have houseguests coming from the UK in April, so we have a new deadline to get the house in some semblance of order. Mike told me the other day that he is beginning to panic. We haven't been home much recently, and that doesn't help either.

Feeling overwhelmed and tired just thinking about all this!

The Olympics of Organizing

2010-02-20T11:20:00.000-08:00

It's hard to keep the kitchen clean when the Olympics are on. We're doing a half-hearted attempt...but we tend to be downstairs watching in the evening instead of cleaning up the dinner dishes.

Both regular exercising (Wii Fit Plus) and regular cleaning are on hold for now. Only a week to go and we'll be back into our usual routines.

In the meantime, I'm spending the time in front of the TV organizing our many photographs. We don't have many printed out after 2003 (when we got a digital camera), but we have boxes and boxes of photo albums and loose photos from both our childhoods up through 2003. I took TONS of photos during the three years we lived in Japan.

So far I've filled a grocery bag with photos that will be recycled. I've decided to forgo the traditional photo albums and instead use photo storage boxes. I still have about eight brand-new photo albums, and I'm not sure what to do with those. I'm thinking that it's unlikely that we would sit and go through photo albums, and I'm finding it very difficult to keep photos organized in albums (not to mention all the space they take up!). I will often pull photos out of a particular album, and then they rarely find their way back into the correct album. With a photo-organizing box, I'm hoping it will be easier to keep track of them.

Right now I'm pulling the photos out and organizing them in Ziploc bags with dates. It's fun to see some of the old shots, but I'm amazed at how many duplicates or similar shots I have, or photos of people whose names I can no longer remember or have since lost contact with.

Mike's using the Olympics time to keep up with the laundry. We so rarely watch TV, but we're using the time with multitasking!

Recycling Jewelry and Books

2010-02-20T11:17:00.001-08:00

After my trip to Powell's last weekend, I filled a bag with the best of Powell's rejects, my jewelry castoffs, and other odds and ends, and took them off to my local consignment store. I received $56 for the haul. They took all of the cookbooks and much of the jewelry. I found a couple of brand-new Abercrombie shirts for Chris, and a summery top for myself, and I still have money left over.

I put the remainder of the cookbooks on paperbackswap.com, and I've already posted off about six or seven of them.

Last night I made fresh crab cakes out of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, and it was so wonderful to be able to reach our cookbooks easily and find the one I wanted!

Book Recycling

2010-02-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

I took two enormous bags of cookbooks to Powell's on Saturday to see how much they would buy. They ended up taking about 20 of them, for a grand total of $40 in trade. Pathetic!

I selected the best of the bunch to take to my favorite resale store to see how many they would be interested in, and I posted the rest to www.paperbackswap.com. It is always nice to get Powell's credit; however, in some ways, Paperbackswap is the best way to go. I've been able to get some really great and sometimes rare books that way, by putting books I want on a wish list. You pay postage for your posted books requested by others, and they pay postage to send the books you request. I tend to post mostly lighter-weight books as much as I can. Children's books are especially great to post.

Already, I've posted four of my cookbooks, and two more have been requested. Someone had requested the original Moosewood Cookbook, but we decided to keep that when we discovered that I had given it to Mike and had Mollie Katzen inscribe it to him! So it's a sentimental keeper.

My friend Shelia in Boise picks up free books at library or garage sales and posts them. It's a great way to get inexpensive books, many of them in great condition. The only down side is that you have to keep the books in storage somewhere. In our case, they are in boxes in the basement.

Olympic Scrapbooking

2010-02-15T17:12:00.000-08:00

Since my husband was an adolescent, he's been painstakingly compiling a scrapbook containing news clippings about EVERY SINGLE OLYMPICS. Winter and summer. We have a couple of boxes of them somewhere in the attic. I'm not sure where his pre-Japan Olympic scrapbooks are...perhaps my mother-in-law has them (or junked them).

Mike prides himself on the fact that he can still shock me occasionally. He has announced that this Olympics, for the first time ever, he is not going to do an Olympics scrapbook. (Another time he shocked me was when he announced, on his 40th birthday, after 13 years of marriage, that he wanted to hyphenate our names.)

He realized that so much is on the internet nowadays, and asked himself how often he actually looks back at them. Both excellent points.

During previous Olympics, we tend to accumulate piles of newspaper and magazines, sitting around for him to clip and paste. He tends to get behind, sometimes not even getting the scrapbooking done until the next Olympics comes round.

I applaud his decision and have to ask myself whether the One Year to an Organized Life approach might have influenced him to give up this tradition. Or maybe he just wanted to shock me again.

Intimates and Apparel

2010-02-12T12:09:00.000-08:00

For February and March, I am working on finishing the kitchen (still need to do the kitchen nook and clean the drawers) and also cleaning and reorganizing the bathroom and bedroom. Then I will be back on track with One Year to an Organized Life.

Today I went through all of my jewelry and intimates. I threw out several pairs of underwear and bras, and relegated the following jewelry for resale or donation:

1 necklace & earring set
7 necklaces
5 earrings
9 pins
7 bracelets

This took a great deal longer than one would think! I also downsized from two jewelry boxes (which I have had for YEARS!) to one.

I polished my new dresser and filled its drawers, and did more cleanup on the bedroom. I'll try to post a photo of the new dresser this weekend--I love having more space for my clothes. And it's a beautiful old art deco dresser with inlaid wood. (Thanks, Nadine and David!) I was able to move my pajamas into the dresser and will be able to move my sweatshirts down to the bottom of the closet, so Mike's shoes will not fall on me each time I try to get a shirt down. (Currently they are way up above me, so I have to jump to get at them.)

Then I went for a massage this afternoon (!). In the evening, Mike took Kieran to fencing and went swimming with Chris, while I continued cleaning while 3-year-old Nicholas serenaded me with Broadway hits.

I also cleaned the living room and am continuing to move things around into the new dining room cabinet.

This weekend is mostly designated for fun, but I do want to take a few trips to the resale store and Powell's!

Another day off to clean (am I crazy or what?)

2010-02-11T11:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the house looked like a tornado had hit it. I was planning to take another day off today to keep up my organizing and cleaning, but so far it's mostly been cleaning!

We got some new (hand-me-down) furniture this week, so we need to move some things around. Mike and I have been tremendously lucky to have received so much of our furniture secondhand! When we were getting married, my cousin's widow gave us all sorts of furniture when she decided to downscale. We've had my grandparents' bed and grandmother's dresser. We have bought furniture for the kiddos and office and family room furniture. But we have some dining room cabinets from my parents and a beautiful cabinet my sister's brother-in-law made. Now my sister and her husband have given us a dresser (that belonged to David's mother) and a beautiful buffet handcrafted by David's grandfather. More places to put things! Yay!

This is what I accomplished today:

Cleaned the kitchen (we're back to Day One on keeping the kitchen clean, because of a late-night concert last night)
Sorted through Kieran's art cabinet and discarded all dry felt pens and junk--it's now being moved up to the kids' room (and out of the living room)
Cleaned the dining room table (which had been piled high with art supplies and other crap)
Organized paperbackswap books and other items to post
Did various cleaning around the house
Got my hair cut (!)
Made dinner and cleaned up afterward
Found Kieran's valentines by searching the house high and low and no one else could find them
Gave the younger boys baths and put all three to bed

Drat! That's not very much, when I write it all down. But at least I have the weekend ahead of me! More to come...

More on what to do with unused medications and other unrecylable items

2010-02-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

After disposing of our unused vitamins by melting, blending, and depositing them in a Ziplog bag with coffee grounds, today I happened across two additional articles on Slate.com about disposing of unwanted medication and items:

"Should you be flushing your old prescription drugs down the toilet?"

and

"What to do when you forget whether something can be recyled"

For those of us committed to do what we can to preserve the environment, these articles give some helpful tips about how to do the right thing.

Clearly, a cookbookaholic

2010-02-07T21:13:00.000-08:00

Now last year when I organized the kitchen, somehow I neglected to purge all the cookbooks in the hall closet. I know that I reorganized the bottom half of the closet, which has pans, a rice cooker, and other cooking stuff, but I must have neglected to get to the cookbooks.

Either that or I just reorganized them and didn't get rid of any.

When I purged and reorganized the books in the study, I got rid of hordes of cookbooks--but that was not my main stash. The study only contained a handful of cookbooks until this afternoon.

The first thing I did was dump them all onto the hallway floor and organize them into categories:

The hall closet is also where we keep our hard liquor, and it was actually in front of a full shelf of cookbooks, so consequently we rarely used any on that shelf unless we needed a specific one.

I made piles for healthy cooking, newish, kids, vegetarian, Asian, and specialty cookbooks.

Pile left is the Asian, and pile right is the vegetarian (we are not vegetarian but like vegetarian cookbooks, clearly...).

I went through each and every one trying to decide which to keep. The newer, healthier cookbooks had an edge over the older ones. Also, many of the specialty cookbooks got designated for consignment or donation. It's so easy to find recipes on the internet nowadays--why do we need so many cookbooks? We had so many that we couldn't even see all of our cookbooks, so we tend to use the same ones over and over again.

If an older cookbook had one or two recipes that we used frequently, I put those aside so I could copy the recipes and get rid of it.

Number of cookbooks this morning: 127

To donate: 23

To take to Powell's and/or consignment: 42

To post on Paperbackswap.com: 14

Number of cookbooks we now own: 45 plus 3 Christmas ones

I successfully shed 62% of our cookbooks today!! I had Mike's enthusiastic support, although I was not allowed to touch his beloved Delia Smith collection...which cracks me up! Even the ancient one--he claims it ties him to his childhood, although I pointed out that I got rid of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook and the Joy of Cooking! (I prefer the more modern versions, such as Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.)

When Mike's mum was visiting last Thanksgiving, we were joking that he should start his own "Mike and Delia" blog in the "Julie and Julia" vein!

I feel such a great sense of accomplishment! And now off to Powell's to get some great credit for all of our rejects!

After my afternoon of organization, this is what the hall cabinet looked like, with 45 cookbooks (still a lot, I know...):

Now let's hope we actually use these cookbooks on more of a regular basis, now that they are more accessible! (And look at all that empty space in the cupboard, too!)

New technique to keep the kitchen clean

2010-02-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight we finished cleaning the kitchen nook (which tends to attract piles of junk) and the kitchen counters (while we were watching two extra kids, I might add--but fortunately all five children were entertaining themselves quite well).

Knowing the motivation I feel by using Wii Fit Plus on a regular basis and realizing how nice it is to compete against my previous scores, I have designed a new challenge for us.

I've written on the memo board posted on the fridge:

Days kitchen has stayed clean: _____________

Mike is a competitive soul, who also likes a good challenge, so I think this will help both of us stay motivated.

The goal is to keep the kitchen nook table and kitchen counters cleared by the end of the day (and ideally, the sink cleaned out as well).

We'll see how effective it is!

Freezer cleaning for dummies...

2010-02-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

Rule #1: After cleaning your freezer, do not forget to turn the freezer back on again.

Last night I went out for a drink with my long-lost cousin, and while I was gone Mike and the boys treated themselves to some ice cream.

The only problem: the ice cream was mush.

Our refrigerator went on the blink earlier this year, and it had something to do with an ice block forming in the back of the freezer, blocking the vent, causing the whole fridge to stop working.

So he cleaned out all the contents of the freezer, and he also noted that the refridgerator temp was rather high.

He could not figure out the source of the problem, and he was about to call me on my cell phone to ask me if I knew what could have happened, when he noticed that the freezer wasn't turned on.

Yes. Stupid me. Thankfully, the frozen foods kept the temperature low enough that no food was ruined. (I had taken out a package of chicken breasts earlier that night, and they were frozen.)

Fortunately, tragedy was averted. What an idiot I am.

How to Dispose of Old Vitamins and Medication

2010-02-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I cleaned the top of the refrigerator and its surrounds (including washing the very dusty wall up high above the fridge), as well as pushing it out from the wall and vacuuming the dust bunnies and cleaning the floor underneath it.

I had gone through this exercise last January, and the fridge was completely clear and clean at the time. However, Mike tends to use the fridge top as a place to put things he wants out of sight of the children for one reason or another, or other things he just wants to put away. I found all sorts of junk up there!

Yet again, I went through all the various vitamins and medications that are stored up there (I tend to keep my medications and such in the bathroom, but Mike prefers the top of the fridge for accessibility). I found all sorts of vitamins and various things (echinacea and iron, for example) that had not been used and actually had expired. Knowing that I couldn't flush them down the toilet, I searched on the internet for a disposal solution and found one.

It advised me to put the unwanted vitamins in a glass of lukewarm water and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes until they dissolve. Given that I had several containers full, instead I put them in a bowl with warm water. However. They did not dissolve. So I finally put them all in the blender and ended up with a horrible-smelling, brown mush. I put the liquid in a Ziploc bag and added coffee grounds (cat litter is another option), sealed it, and put it in the garbage. The coffee grounds or cat litter are meant to deter animals from eating it.

I also disposed of some chocolate calcium chews I'd had up there for years, gathering dust.

Took this afternoon off to deep-clean my kitchen

2010-02-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

I'm already behind on my One Year to an Organized Life, Part 2. I had intended to reorganize and clean the kitchen in January. Guess what? It's the first week of February!

Life has been so crazy lately, both at work and at home (and hello? three kids!), so this has not gotten done.

I decided I needed a mental health break from work and intended to take the whole day off, but forces conspired against me and I ended up working at home in the morning. Today I worked for about 4 or 5 hours on the kitchen. Tomorrow I'm hoping to work another 1/2 day and get more done.

Earlier this week I did get some purging and cleaning done in the kitchen. I cleaned two of our cabinets, which hold oils, sauces, spices and herbs, pasta, rice, and baking supplies. I junked a bunch of stuff, such as croutons (how did we end up with croutons?), some sauces with high-fructose corn syrup that have been in our cabinets for years, and some obscure herbs that we never use. I also took out some jams, chutneys, and sauces that rarely get used and moved them down to the basement to make room for more canned goods in the kitchen.

Today, I have:

Cleaned out and loaded the dishwasher (first things first!)
Cleaned out and reorganized the snack and cereal shelves (why do we still have any wheat-based snacks that the kids don't eat, if Mike and I avoid wheat?)
Moved the coffee up to the top shelf because it's not used very often, and the snacks to a lower shelf
Reorganized the mugs and the tea shelf--we continue to have an abundance of tea!!
Deep-cleaned the stove--inside, top, sides, burners, back, and underneath (including vacuuming and cleaning up the grunge on the floor under it)
Cleaned the microwave and toaster oven (including under the microwave cabinet)
Cleaned out the microwave cabinet and discovered the source of a seriously fishy smell we've had lingering around the house for several days! (a rotten potato!)
Cleaned and reorganized the freezer

That's enough for now! Tomorrow I'll get more done--and hopefully move on to another room!

Multitasker in Recovery

2010-01-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

I received some feedback at my performance review that led me to a realization about myself. The combination of my "helper" personality and my tendency to multitask results in my habit of juggling several different tasks or projects at once. This applies to any given moment (having several windows and projects open on my computer at work) or point in time (starting projects at home and taking forever to finish them). Deadlines have always motivated me. However, much of what I do at work is developing and implementing strategic projects and initiatives, which often don't have deadlines.

A coworker told me that she has to finish a project once she starts it before she can move on to something else. Her husband is more like me, but she keeps this in check by reminding him he has to finish the project at hand first. Unfortunately, Mike and I are both starters more than finishers, so I don't have anyone to keep me in line! I do love the feeling of finishing a project, but I think I'm often too ambitious and scattered--I don't do a good enough job focusing one thing at a time, so it takes me longer to get things done.

(For example, I started a cookbook project to finish pasting a bunch of recipes into a 3-ring binder and index them. I finished the pasting before Christmas, but I still haven't finished the indexing. Also, we have been living in our house for 10 years, but we still haven't painted the dreaded pink walls in the hallway, or finished our bathroom project. Sigh. My best excuse is the fact that I have 3 kids and a full-time job. But I have to laugh when people tell me they admire my ability to read so much. They haven't seen my house. Reading is another one of my projects, and it is never ending!)

So one of my personal goals for 2010 is to narrow my focus (at home and at work). I need to prioritize a few top projects and FINISH those before taking on anything else. I also need to stop volunteering for so much. I've ordered Regina Leeds' book One Year to an Organized Life at Work in the hopes that I can apply the same principles at my workplace.

I truly believe that one of my greatest skills is my ability to multi-task. I am great at it. But I think it is hampering my ability to get projects finished, so I need to use it selectively. I just read an interesting e-newsletter that talks specifically about the problems presented by multitasking. (Try the New York Times game linked below at your own risk--I did horribly! But I also would never text in the car!!) The article really spoke to me, especially at this time of my life--I'm guilty of many of the things she mentions! I'm reprinting it here with the permission of the author, Daphne Gray-Grant*:

PW #207 - Are you frittering away your life by multitasking?

I work mostly from home and I'm the mother of triplets. In some ways, I think I'm a marvelous multitasker. Heck, I practically defined the term. When my kids were small, I could feed two babies, change the diaper on the third, talk on the phone and plan dinner, all at the same time. So please take me seriously when I say I know multitasking. But when it comes to writing, I think it's a bad idea.

In theory, multitasking sounds brave and competent. Truth be told, however, it's more accurate to describe multitasking as "being distracted." Scoff if you like, but I think writing is a bit like driving; it requires your full attention. To get a more visceral understanding of what this means, you might want to play a brief online game dreamed up by the New York Times.

Working from the principle that many people mistakenly think they're pretty good at multitasking while driving, the game sets out to measure your reaction time when distracted. How does it work? Well, it puts you behind the wheel of an imaginary car and asks you to change lanes -- repeatedly and quickly. Then, it sends you text messages, which you're expected to answer. (And if your answers have too many errors, you get a text message saying "Sorry, I can't understand you!")

After you've responded to three text messages, the game then sends you a score. Average reaction times show that most players are .24 seconds slower at changing lanes while texting and miss 8% more gates. (Confession: I did much worse than that!) Try it yourself!

So how does this principle apply to writing? I think there are five main ways in which writers try to multitask (and I suggest you avoid ALL of them while you're writing.)

1) Checking email. This is probably the most disruptive -- and compelling -- distraction of our day. According to a calculation by Merlin Mann on his website 43 folders, if you check your e-mail every 5 minutes, then you're checking it 12 times an hour. Multiply 12 times an hour by 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year (assuming you take two weeks of vacation and not counting your at-home email habits) and that means you are checking your email some 24,000 times each year. That's awesome -- in a bad way! As Mann asks: "What are you not working on during that time?"

2) Surfing the web. How often are you checking Facebook, Twitter, blogs or just generally surfing the web? Sure it's attractive (I adore Twitter for example), but I don't let it control my life. All computer related habits should be delegated to set times of the day. Start by trying to limit yourself to once an hour for each. From there, reduce even further to only once or twice a day. Or, possibly, use this "distraction" as a reward for when you finish your writing.

3) Talking on the phone. Here's a hard one. Not only can it be fun, it can also be essential for your job. If there's a call, you can't afford to miss, it takes nerves of steel to ignore a ringing phone. To solve this problem, try to schedule your writing as an appointment -- and then treat it like a meeting with your CEO. If necessary, leave your office and perch in a coffee shop or at a boardroom or library table.

4) Doing research while you write. Please, don't ever mix your writing with your research. These are two separate tasks and the research should always come first. That doesn't mean there won't be information gaps when you write but don't use them as an excuse to stop writing. Instead, insert a blank "marker" in your text -- like this ________ or this XXX -- and then research how to fill it/fix it later, when you're editing.

5) Eating. I see a lot of people eating lunch at their computers. This is a bad idea -- not just for you, but also for your computer. Crumbs and liquid can kill your keyboard. My daughter lost her laptop when she spilled a glass of orange juice over it. But it's also bad for you. When you've been working hard writing, you deserve a break. So, pat yourself on the back and go eat your lunch (or your snack) elsewhere. Multitasking. It's not just being an extra-hard worker. It's being a distracted one.

*A former daily newspaper editor, Daphne Gray-Grant is a writing and editing coach and the author of the popular book 8½ Steps to Writing Faster, Better. She offers a brief and free weekly newsletter on her website. Subscribe by going to the Publication Coach.

Want an idea for all those Christmas cards you received?

2010-01-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

I typically keep the card fronts so I can reuse them for gift tags in upcoming years. However. As a result, I have piles of old Christmas cards. As I approached the stack from this year, I knew that I could not keep them as well. So I did a search on the internet and found a great solution to my Christmas card dilemma:

St. Jude's Children's Ranch

They are accepting used, all-occasion (including Christmas) cards until February 28, 2010. Donations can be mailed to St. Jude's Ranch for Children, Recycled Card Program, 100 St. Jude's Street, Boulder City, NV, 89005.

St. Jude's Ranch for Children takes in abused, abandoned, and neglected children. The kids help volunteers make new cards by attaching a new back to the card, which they then sell to fund their work.

I was so inspired by this idea that I went and dug out all our old Christmas cards (that were in my Christmas boxes) to find more to send off! This is another example of something I've always kept (my mom taught me the trick) but I'm letting go of.

I e-mailed St. Jude's Ranch to verify they also want Christmas cards (the site says all-occasion cards), and they responded to say that they want card fronts with no writing on the back...so I guess I will weed through them and keep a few for gift tags and recycle the rest.

Healthier eating choices for the whole family

2010-01-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

South Beach Progress

I've been on Phase One of the South Beach Diet for 8 days now, and it's going well. We bought a new digital scale to replace the analog one we've had since we got married (and doesn't seem very reliable), so I'm not exactly sure how many pounds I've lost...but they are melting away. I also feel much healthier.

I'm sure cutting out alcohol, sugar, and wheat is partially contributing to this feeling, although I am definitely counting the days until I can add grains and fruit back into my diet. Phase One (purposely strict to limit one's cravings) officially ends on Saturday, but I will end it one day early, since Friday night my sister and I will be helping my mom celebrate her birthday at Edgefield, and I want to be able to enjoy a glass of wine.

I did go out to lunch with friends twice this week, and I did fine. The first time was sushi, and I had miso soup, edamame, tofu, and sashimi. The second time I had a yummy roasted vegetable salad with grilled chicken on it--the dressing was honey mustard, which I realized later technically breaks the Phase One rule (no honey or sugar), but oh well. I have not missed bread, but I have missed rice and oatmeal.

I stocked up on tons of veggies, organic olive oil, jarred red peppers, and whole grains (organic brown rice, wild rice, and quinoa), in addition to Wii Fit Plus, at Costco this week. Last night I made Indian chicken (with coconut milk and cauliflower), spiced lentils, and garlic-sesame green beans. We had the leftovers tonight, and they were delicious.

Kids Get Healthy!

This week has focused heavily on food, because 3-year-old Nick has been horribly constipated, to the point of groaning and pain. He has a horrible diet--drinks tons of milk (regular and chocolate) and eats a lot of starch (toast, macaroni and cheese, rice, etc.) as well as string cheese and eggs. Very few veggies, and the only fruit he seems interested in at the moment are bananas (also not good for constipation). He's in that skeptical 3-year-old eating phase. Things he used to enjoy he turns his nose up at now. Fortunately, the constipation seems to have passed because we've cut way back on his milk intake, and we're feeding him popcorn (high in fiber) and other healthy foods.

We've decided that our entire family needs to eat healthier. As it is, we realize we our way healthier than most American families, but we still have lots of room for improvement. We typically eschew high-fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils, and most processed foods, but like any parents, we have our weak moments when we have given into our kids, or into convenience.

Mike and I have found ourselves being short-order cooks for the kids at times, even though we swore we would never do that! It's not all the time, but any time we make something we think the kids won't like as much we'll make macaroni and cheese, corn dogs, or spinach ravioli for them.

We've both been reading a lot about healthier eating (I'm reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan right now), and Mike read about a great idea to encourage healthy eating in kids: the "no thank you plate." Now the kids can put food on the plate that they do not want to eat. We've had some grumbling about the healthier choices we're putting in front of them (especially our efforts to limit snacks right before or after dinner), but overall I believe it's going well. They will get used to it!

Part of my kitchen revisit will include getting rid of anything that doesn't fit into these healthy eating guidelines, including a big barrel of Red Vines, which I allowed Kieran to buy with his allowance during a weak moment at Costco! They are stale anyway. Who can eat a big barrel of Red Vines before they go stale, anyway? Personally, I hate the things. Hope Kieran won't notice their absence.

Okay, Make that Two Years?

2010-01-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

I failed to "organize my life" in 1 year, even though I did make tons of progress toward that goal. I plan to get back on track with following the book. I'm going to start all over again this year, revisiting the rooms I decluttered, organized, and cleaned last year--because they can use it again!

In the meantime, I will reclean the study after all the Christmas wrapping and cards are put away for good (it's Christmas at our house until after Epiphany) and take photos to show off our progress. Stay tuned!

I will also work on the family room in between revisiting the other rooms. It's the last big major room to tackle, and it's not helped by the fact that the shelf on which several photo albums were perched fell down today when 6-year-old Kieran reached up to get a spool of thread. Poor thing met me at the door in tears--he felt terrible! But one of my upcoming tasks is to go through old photos, weed some out, and organize the rest.

I have also expanded my life organizing to include organizing my health. After over-indulging during the holidays like so many other people, I decided to try the South Beach Diet. In recent months I've been noticing a spare tire around my middle, and I'm determined to get rid of it (or at least reduce its size!).

Although I've had some success at tracking calories in the past, I felt that this recent weight gain calls for more drastic measures! I'm also reading a bunch of books on healthy eating for inspiration. (That's the way I get inspired...I read.)

So far, Phase One of the South Beach (the hardest phase) has gone fine and has not been as hard as I expected. I started on Saturday. The hardest part has been giving up my beloved granola or oatmeal for breakfast. (During Phase One, you can't eat grains, fruit, sugar, or alcohol, among other things.) The first night I made a delicious dinner of chicken, garlic, fresh basil, red pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, and pesto. I used two pounds of chicken, so I had lots left over to take for lunch this week. I also went grocery shopping to stock up on vegetable juice, vegetables, unsalted mixed nuts, and soups. (I love the fact that I am actually encouraged to eat nuts every day--yum! that helps stave off hunger...)

Last night I cooked some chicken/turkey meatballs in a lime-ginger-tamari sauce (okay, so I cheated on the fruit a bit by using lime), served over a bed of spinach. Tonight my dear sweet husband made steelhead with tomatoes, garlic, onions, and capers (using a South Beach recipe he found online--isn't he a sweetheart??).

I've been eating plain yogurt, turkey bacon, and veggie juice for breakfast, and the yogurt is actually growing on me (forgive the pun). This morning I mixed some cinnamon, nuts, and stevia in the yogurt to sweeten it a bit.

The real test will be on Wednesday, when I'm meeting friends for sushi at the rotating sushi bar. I figure I can eat sashimi, edamame, and miso soup, right?

Beyond organizing my health and my house, my job is changing this year again, so I will add my job to things to organize. And so it continues...in a never-ending cycle.

So far, so good! 2010 will be a good year--I can feel it.

Been Too Busy Cleaning to Blog Much...

2009-11-18T21:00:00.000-08:00

But (countdown please...) TA-DA!!! The study is actually done.

Seven months later.

Blog followers will remember that I started on the study back in April, as I was trying to follow Regina Leeds' One Year to an Organized Life. I did pretty well for the first three months, but then I got stalled by the massive, humongous mess that was our study...the black hole of the house.

My mother-in-law arrived last week for her annual visit, and Mike and I were both bound and determined to finally get that damn room clean!!! And not only did we get the study cleaned out and organized--with wide open spaces and empty floors!!!--but I also tackled the utility room and what we call "Chai's room" (a storage room off the utility room). I would like to spend a bit more time organizing the cabinets in the utility room, but it's vastly improved. In addition to that, we cleaned the rest of the house from top to bottom in preparation for her visit.

Chai's room (so called because our cat used to sleep, poop, and eat in there) was full of old toys, cassette tapes, art supplies, seasonal decorations, tools, batteries, chairs, wrapping paper, baskets, etc. Now it's neat and clean and organized (and you can see the floor in there too!). I've been told I'm not to purchase any more baskets!

With all the organizing we are doing, we have a plethora of those clear plastic boxes, because we've emptied out so much stuff that was in them. We have so many of them that we've taken a lot of them out to the garage.

Next on the room organizing list, after my mother-in-law leaves and our 13-year-old can move back to his bedroom, is the family room.

I will post some before-and-after photos of the study when I have enough courage. I even have a cleaned desk to work at now!!

Oh, the Guilt!!

2009-11-06T17:12:00.000-08:00

In the past week I've been working on cleaning out our storage room in the basement. Even though our cat, Chai, died about 5 years ago, we still call it "Chai's room," because she slept there.

It is one of our home graveyards--with boxes of Asian masks, vases, and statues (some that we haven't unpacked in the 10 years we have lived here!); seasonal items; empty cardboard boxes for things we've bought (in case they need to go back to the store); batteries and tools; boots; old baby things; art supplies; and other various items.

In the past few evenings, I've consigned to recycling, trash, or giveaways the following things:

Cardboard, paper, and other junk
Stacks of children's drawings, homework, and schoolwork
Old cassette and VCR tapes
Christmas cards and decorations we've never used
Styrofoam pieces and pellets
Toys, toys, and more bits of toys
Old pens, crayons, and paints
A brand-new "cookbook holder" and a juicer my dad gave us that I couldn't figure out how to put together

I've posted dozens of old children's books on Paperbackswap, had Mike take some good-condition floor puzzle pieces and a few other toys to donate to Nick's preschool, and put some things away to take to the resale shop.

As I've been cleaning out the storage area, I've found dozens of baskets and cleared out bunches of plastic boxes--we have more than we will ever need, given all the decluttering I've been doing.

The guilt is mostly because of the hundreds of little pieces of toys...my children just do not do very well with toys that have many pieces. They get lost and spread all over the house and become useless. Because they are so spread out, it's not even worth the effort to try to reassemble the toy to be able to give it away. So I have been filling bag after bag, not only to donate, but for the dump.

I know it must be done. Our house actually has a lot of storage areas--if only we were better organized, we would have plenty of space for our stuff--and it will be great to have this storage room organized. But I'm feeling massively guilty about the quantity of things I have to throw away. We are good environmentalists--I do not like to have things end up in the landfill!

I asked Mike if he is feeling guilty, too, and he said no. He's just feeling relief. Granted, his major role has been carting the bags off to charity and the dump--he's not really seeing what's going into the bags.

This year I am going to try to give the children experiences for Christmas instead of toys. And do everything I can to encourage other people to give them experiences or if they must buy toys or other items, avoid the small pieces! :) We do not tend to be very acquisitive--and I realize that the things I'm throwing away and donating are from years and years of buildup--but I want to do what I can to minimize more clutter and unused items coming into our house.

Do not be impatient...

2009-10-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Do not be impatient with your seemingly slow progress. Do not try to run faster than you presently can. If you are studying, reflecting and trying, you are making progress whether you are aware of it or not. A traveler walking the road in the darkness of night is still going forward. Someday, some way, everything will break open, like the natural unfolding of a rosebud.

--Vernon Howard, 1918-1992

I just saw this quote and thought about how it was applicable to my life. The first thing that came to mind was my organization, decluttering, cleaning, and renovation efforts.

I had set myself a goal in early September to clear half of the study floor, and I'm making slow and steady progress toward that goal. Mike still has his own little area for his writing stuff, and he is also slowly and steadily making his way through his piles.

More work on the study this weekend resulted in my announcing to Mike: "We have so much crap!" But I am seeing progress. Just have to remind myself that slow progress is better than no progress! In so many areas of my life...including mandolin playing and knitting!

Bye Bye, Cross-Stitch Quilt I Never Finished...

2009-09-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

Poor, neglected blog. I haven't shown you any love for the past 2 months.

Here are a few things from my organized life lately:

A couple of weeks ago I ordered a beautiful leather bench/coffee table from Costco, and I reorganized (and purged) Nicholas' toys in the living room. Most of them are now contained in the bench (when they are properly stowed), except the train table and big fire trucks and fire station. The corner of the living room looks vastly improved.

I've also continued to work on the study. On my other blog, I set myself some homework at the beginning of the school year:

Clean the study so that I can see and walk around on at least half the floor space (and not trip over anything!) (this is only the first task of the great study-cleaning project, which is the first essential step to getting back into my organized life year)

The other night I accomplished a lot in the study...but the work continues. I was able to sweep out the last remaining cupboard space and put more stuff away off the floor (primarily boxes of frames and artwork, which need to be dealt with later, and more endless art supplies).

I also organized all of our greeting cards, stationery, and thank you cards. When I was young, I collected stationery and was up to 110 different varieties at one time. Although I no longer have that much, I still have a weakness for pretty paper and cards. I also organized our thank you and blank card stash, since my husband is a thank you card NUT! (Sorry, honey--I say that in the most affectionate way.) I've been trying to get him to stop buying thank you cards because we have so many blank cards. Now I've put all suitable thank you cards in ONE box, so they should be easy for him to find.

Most difficult of all, I packed away a cross-stitch baby quilt that I had 1/3 finished. I believe I was working on the quilt before I got pregnant with Chris, or maybe when I was pregnant with him--I can't really remember. The idea was that it would be for my baby someday. Ha! Three babies later, and no quilt. I haven't done cross-stitch for years, and now I've taken up knitting (sort of). It was time to cut the cord.

It was still stretched out over the big wooden embroidery hoop. I finally decided that I need to give both--unfinished quilt, pattern, and supplies--and hoop to Goodwill. I'm hoping that someone will think it's a find. (I wonder if my mother-in-law wants it--Olga? It's a Daisy Kingdom pattern...)

I had a hard time designating it to the Goodwill bag (dark and opaque so my children cannot see what's in it), but it had to be done.

Bounty in the Garden!

2009-07-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this in my organizing blog because it's the first year in eons that we have really been organized about our vegetable garden. Years ago, we actually dug out a patch of grass to put in a garden, but ever since that peak year, it's never been quite what we intended.

This year Mike built raised beds and purchased high-quality soil and compost, and it has made a tremendous difference in our harvest. We also planted a wide variety of organic vegetable starts and seeds. In addition, Kieran has been engaged and helped to put in a number of the plants and scatter seeds. It's been fun to see how well our plants have done this year. Take a look:

We planted TONS of tomatoes, since that's my favorite garden-fresh vegetable. So far, only the cherry tomatoes are riping...but I see a lot of tomatoes in our future!

The corn "hatching," as Kieran put it...

Lovely lettuce! We won't have to buy lettuce for quite some time at the rate it's growing...

Mint and rosemary contained in a pot between the two raised beds

An eggplant with blossoms

Mike and I laugh about the fact that we've NEVER been able to grow zucchini! Well, this year we did it, at last!

And some nice yellow squash coming in as well...

Tabbouleh, anyone?

A little cucumber coming in...

A baby green pepper:

We've never tried to grow corn before, so we'll see how it turns out...it sure looks pretty though!

Tomatilloes:

Kieran's scarecrow keeping away the crows?

While I was finishing up the boys' room today, Mike was outside in the glaring heat fixing the back gate. The gate had been falling apart because of rotting wood, and a winter storm really whipped the bejeesus out of it. There was basically nothing left of it. Mike took the scraps and used some new hardware and wood to reinforce the gate. My handy husband! (He was not taught how to do this kind of thing when growing up, so these are wonderful accomplishments for him!)

Finally Finished with the Kids' Rooms!

2009-07-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

I know I have been neglecting this poor blog and my organizing activities...although even though out of sight, it hasn't been out of mind!

Since I do my organizing and cleaning in the evenings after the kids have gone to bed (mostly), I find myself cleaning the kitchen OVER AND OVER AGAIN instead of getting back to the study reorganization project...which is still not done.

But instead of returning to the study, which is truly out of sight out of mind (it's the room I'm least likely to go into each day), this weekend I decided to finish the younger boys' bedroom first. I worked up there for hours yesterday and finished it off today, and I must say, IT FEELS GOOD!!!

I posted the "before" photos on this post--take a look. Pretty bad. And those photos were taken back in May--you can imagine how bad it got before I plowed into the mess. Each night, as I was putting the boys to bed, I got so tired of looking at the mess, I had to finally finish off the job.

The "job" not only involved going through boxes of junk, toys, and clothes, but also tackling our major children's book problem. We have myriads of plastic bins full of children's books--they spilled over into the attic crawl space. No more. (I also organized the attic crawl space a few months ago--I don't think I blogged about that. This was desperately needed!)

After I cleaned and organized Son #1's room, I noticed that in spite of the fact that I organized all of his books neatly into a bookcase, he pulled them out and stacked them on the floor in the order he wanted to read them. He also is not very good about putting them away--he likes to see the piles. So I asked him if he would prefer to just have plastic bins for his books in his room. They don't look very nice, but they would be easier to deal with--he could just toss the books into the bins. He agreed, so I moved the nice bookcase into the little boys' room.

Sorting through the books and dividing them into Paperbackswap, Goodwill, and "keep," I was able to get the remaining ones on the bookcases with some room to spare. It helps that the bunk bed set has some room for books, too.

Another big chore to tackle was the clothes issue. With three growing boys, it's quite a chore to manage the clothes they outgrow--so we can pass them on to the next boy. I spent a lot of time organizing clothing yesterday. I also had Son #2 go through all his shirts and choose which ones he liked, because he is quite picky and I had noticed that he never wore a lot of his shirts.

Then there was the toy and puzzle sorting, charity donation assigning, and garbage collecting. I finished most of the dirty work yesterday and returned today for the finishing touches (hanging up some pictures and vacuuming). We'll see how long they can keep it clean! At bedtime, Nick told me that he didn't like it all picked up! I think my children like chaos and mess. Lucky me.

Here are some photos of the finished product:

Kieran considers the desk "his" even though he shares the room with his younger brother. It's all arranged by him and adorned with his treasures (including the radish and tomatoes from our garden, which he helped plant):

Portland is in the midst of a heatwave, and this room is the only room in the house with an air conditioning unit!

Chris perusing all the chapter books that used to be his...

The closet, which needs a bit more work but is WAY cleaner than before! You can see the remnants of my clothing organization efforts.

So I'm completely out of order with One Year to an Organized Life, but now that I have the kids' room sorted out, it's time to return to the study. One day, I resolve to have it done!!!

Kids Bedrooms

2009-05-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

The One Year to an Organized Life book covers kids' rooms in September, so I continue to be out of sequence here. I must be driving my husband and my friend Shelia batty. I still haven't finished the study--no. I will be lucky if I finish it by the end of June at this rate!

In the meantime, I've been focusing on other things. We did the big bedroom swap here a few weeks ago. We have a three-bedroom house with three children. The kids' rooms are upstairs, and one of them is bigger than the other. Chris, the oldest, has been in the larger bedroom since he was 3. We've told him that if he wants to have his own room, he would need to move to the smaller room.

We bought bunk beds for the younger boys, and Kieran (the middle son) was also not crazy about moving into the other room.

But once we finally made the move (and stopped just talking about it), they've all made the adjustment nicely.

I'm still working on cleaning the younger boys' room (including the annual swap-out-the-winter-and-outgrown-clothes routine, which can be time consuming with three boys...in and out of storage, organizing sizes, etc.). But I tackled Chris' bedroom last week. I convinced him to go through his books and put some aside to give away. The ones that were in good shape we took to Powell's (and he earned $24 in credit for them), and the others we donated or posted on paperbackswap.com.

I know that I should be engaging the children more in cleaning out their rooms, but honestly, it is easier to do the initial cleaning myself because I can declutter while I am doing it. I do wish my children were excited about decluttering and moving their seldom-used stuff along, but they are not (understatement of the year). I would have a very difficult time getting rid of anything if they were helping me. So I declutter and clean, and I will expect them to keep it clean, or at least reasonably clean.

Here is Chris' new bedroom:

And this what I have yet to tackle in the other room! (Leftovers from when Chris occupied it, in addition to various clothes, toys, etc.) Plus, I need to sort out the closets in both rooms. So much to do!!

We're very happy with our purchase of the bunk beds and dresser--we got the whole set for $750 via Craigslist, and they are solid wood. We're using the toddler bed for Nicholas for now instead of the usual twin bed because the toddler bed has rails.

Aye, aye, aye! Just looking at these photos is overwhelming! But I think I must tackle the rest of this mess before I get back to the study!!

Drowning in Paper!

2009-05-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still working on that darned study! I found the kitchen and bedroom easier because I could compartmentalize the tasks. The study is one of the largest rooms in our house. I also find that when I declutter and organize, I tend to create more of a mess than I had before...just in the organizing process. So even though I'm actually making progress, it's not very easy to see it.

Last night when I was getting ready for bed, Mike asked what I had been working on that night, and it was hard to give him a specific answer. I've just been working through the stuff.

My usual habit is to have a dark garbage bag for "giveaways," a white plastic bag for garbage, and a brown paper sack for paper to recycle. This weekend is the school rummage sale, so a number of bags have been donated there. (And note: I am not planning to attend! Mike will be at a writer's conference this weekend, and the only way I might hit the rummage sale is without kids in tow. But with the kids along, all we would end up with would be RUMMAGE! So it's going only one way and not coming back.)

It's really astonishing how much time all this organizing can take when you've never had a sense of good organization in a room. For example, I've looked through old greeting cards and have a bag of them to keep--I've recycled a whole lot of them as well. I pile the children's best artwork in a pile. I stack photos in a pile (yes, they've been strewn all over the place!); same with bookmarks. Anything that belongs to Mike or that needs to be filed, I put in his corner of stuff. He's been gradually going through it, but the piles continue to expand.

I've organized most of my art supplies, the fairly large supply of gifts to keep on hand, the cards, the books, the office supplies, the photo frames, the stuff to hang on the walls, the gift bags and wrapping paper, the CDs (well, the ones we are keeping--are in a bag), and the supply of stationery. I've put toys into a bin for the family room. I have another bin for Kieran's art supplies. (We have several bins around the house--this, too, needs organization!)

One of the things I discovered last night is that we have a plethora of greeting cards and stationery. Plus one of my favorite things to do is to make cards, but I don't often take the time to do so. (I'm hoping that by organizing my art supplies into the plastic-drawer bins, it will make this easier in the future.)

I also love to make gifts--such as these margarita candles I made for Mother's Day.

When I listed one of eight things I would like to do (in my other blog), I listed "making more of my own gifts" as one of my things. I would love to do more of this kind of thing.

Gift giving and card writing is important to both Mike and me. (When I was a young girl, I collected stationery--each box was numbered, and at one point I have more than 100 varieties...but how often do I write letters any more? I still have some legacy stationery, though I got rid of a bunch last night.)

We tend to overpurchase when it comes to both gifts and cards. Mike is positively addicted to thank you cards! I've suggested that he use some of the other cards we have in plentiful supply, but he likes them to be small so he doesn't have to write as much! (My husband is King of the Thank You Cards. And the Queen, by the way, lives in Boise, Idaho.) I'm determined to, one day, make him a stack of 100!

We have enough other types of greeting cards to last us at least a year, and as I've written previously, I have a box of gifts for kids and another for adults. I am a perennial bargain hunter, so I see things that would be good for gifts on sale--and then they stack up. Of course, that doesn't stop me from going out and buying the perfect gift for someone if I feel the whim or the need!

So that's all for now. One of these days I really will finish cleaning and organizing the study and get back to Regina Leeds' book! I'm determined!

Poor, Neglected Blog...

2009-04-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

I continue to plow on in my study-organizing efforts, but it's such a big project, it's hard to quantify the progress I've made.

In the past week, I've been organizing my art supplies into plastic cabinets, and today I stacked them one on top of the other in one of the cupboards. I still have more supplies in boxes to organize and sift through, but I've definitely made progress.

I found a couple of packs of FIMO clay that I think I've owned for 15 years--I bought them thinking I'd make FIMO beads for jewelry! Off to Goodwill they go.

I've also started stacking excess office and school supplies in one plastic box, in addition to sorting through memorabilia, etc.

Today I went through a bag of greeting cards and discarded a number of them. Regina Leeds advises that you chuck the Christmas photo cards (and presumably old greeting cards as well). However, I ended up keeping more than half of them--the ones from relatives and close friends, especially if they'd written something meaningful in the card. Yes, someday my children might hate me for it...but I do like to look back over those cards (especially the heartfelt ones).

I'm stacking lots of papers and other things in a corner for Mike to sort through.

It's a very gradual process and will most likely NOT be done by the end of April...thwarting my plans to get back on schedule in May...

I worked a bit on the study today but then decided to cook a nice dinner while Mike was working outside making raised beds for our garden. Mike does the cooking during the week, so when I cook on the weekends I tend to be overambitious!

I made a carrot-parsnip custard, mostly for Mike because he loves parsnips...and then I also made a broccoli dal for dinner, along with homemade mac and cheese for the kids. The broccoli dal turned out wonderfully! Mike and I liked the custard (although it was odd to have it for dessert), but the kids declared it a dud! No surprise there.

So a bit of a distraction this afternoon...but I am making slow, steady progress. Maybe I'll be done by mid-May? :)

Gift Boxes and Gift Bags

2009-04-06T22:34:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I continued to chip away on the huge mess that is our study. (When hubby was out in the yard planting flowers, I was working in the basement study--poor me!)

I began on the second cupboard after finishing the frame and artwork organization...and organized our supply of gifts.

Buying (or making) gifts for people has always been one of my favorite things to do. In fact, I could see myself making a career out of it...but then I probably wouldn't enjoy it so much then. I also like to plan ahead for Christmas or other holidays, so I tend to buy a lot of things that would be good for gifts...ahead of time. However, I then end up with a lot of stuff in storage. Which needs to be organized, and reorganized, and organized again.

And I have to confess that I do not always use items in my gift boxes as a first resort, because (1) I sometimes forget what I have, and (2) it doesn't suit the person or the occasion. Some of the items in my gift boxes have been there for awhile. This weekend I relegated some of those items into my elementary school rummage sale or Goodwill piles.

The other thing I had to tackle was excess Christmas items (I swear we have several Christmas boxes all over the house--Christmas takes so much STUFF!!) and gift bags. Gift bags were a wonderful invention. However, I find them very difficult to throw away. But they do get ropey after a few uses. I keep them, and then I don't use them--either because I like wrapping gifts (and I have gift wrap) or they are not in good enough condition to use for gifts.

So I divided them into three piles: (1) honestly good enough to reuse, (2) still sturdy but wrinkled and unsuitable for giving--to be used for other items around the house or when I could use a bag, and (3) recycling or trash.

Beyond these two organizing projects, I continued to chip away at the piles. The next project will be to organize my art and beading supplies, of which there are MANY.

Making slow but steady progress...this is the biggest project of the year, I suspect...

March, Week Three: Create a Plan

2009-04-03T23:08:00.001-07:00

In Week Three, Leeds recommends "speed elimination" again. I'm definitely a fan of this technique, and I have used it off and on through this program. In the study, I've used this technique more on a group basis: for example, speed elimination of books, or of children's CD-ROMs, or junk on the floor.

Specifically, Leeds recommends focusing on the following in speed elimination:

Old magazines and newspapers. Mike has a habit of collecting old magazine and newspaper articles...I have to grant it to him that he is quite good about filing them away in three-ring binders. But I do wonder how often he goes back to refer to them? I'm more likely to clip recipes or home improvement ideas.
Flyers and catalogs for sales that have expired. Not a problem for us. We are fervent, regular recyclers of that kind of thing.
Old bank statements and bills. We could probably weed out more of these--Mike generally keeps track of our household files and stays on top of these.
Invitations for events that have passed, expired coupons, warranties for items long gone, junk mail...
Photo holiday cards. Now this is an area for consideration. Not just photo holiday cards, but cards in general. We are a card-giving family, both in our nuclear family and extended family, and we tend to keep most of the cards we receive. They are piled up in bags and bags. We don't keep every single card...but we keep many. Perhaps we need to develop some kind of rules to determine which ones to discard.

Then she moves onto paper organizing tools...Leeds says that file systems need to be cleaned out periodically, for example every one to three years. Here are some of the specific recommendations she makes that we can apply to our lives in this household:

Get a paper tray to hold the open package of printer paper (will look neater)...
Use plastic boxes to store files (roaches and rats love cardboard)...believe me, if we have rats, my paper files will be the least of my concerns!! But we do love those plastic storage boxes and use them for lots of things.
Use a label maker to label files--makes them more readable and they look neater.
Use drawer liners and organizers in the office as well as the kitchen.
Assess the furniture and supplies in your home office--is your desk adequate and big enough? Is the chair comfortable? For us, we have two desks--one for the computer, and one for the other CRAP!! Honestly, my goal is to clear off the second desk and organize things so it could actually be used for writing! :) And to keep it clean.

Leeds also includes a text box about identity theft and recommends several useful steps to prevent this:

Protect your accounts with passwords that would be difficult to guess. Change your passwords every 6 months. (I'm very guilty of not doing this!!! I have to change my password regularly for work use--I should use that as a prompter to change my internet passwords as well!)
Never carry your social security card with you, give it to strangers over the phone, or have it printed on your checks. If a company wants to use the SSN for identification, ask to use another form of identification. (We just had to give copies of our SSNs for our refinancing...made me nervous to do even that!)
Get your free credit report each year to check your credit. (www.annualcreditreport.com)
If you are a victim of identity theft, write to each credit bureau and freeze your accounts. Include a copy of your police report, and alert all your credit card companies and financial institutions.
Do not sign the back of your credit card. Instead, write photo ID required.
Check the activity on your credit card accounts every week.
Make liberal use of a shredder.

We have not been victims of identity theft, but twice in the past five years we have had close calls. The first was when JC Penney called us to tell us that a former employee had used our credit card # to purchase a $500 gift card. (We had used our credit card at the JC Penney photo studio.) By the time JC Penney contacted us, they had dealt with the issue (and fired the employee).

Then a few months ago we gave a check to a charity that provides cleaning drinking water in Africa. The person who was going to deposit the checks left them in his car, and they were stolen. We called our credit union to ask them to hold the check, and they informed us that the safe procedure was to close out our checking account. What a pain in the neck it was, and very distressing considering the fact that it resulted from a charitable donation. What was this person thinking? (Or not...)

We pay so many of our bills by automatic withdrawal, plus my paycheck and expense checks are deposited directly into our account, so there was no end to the number of companies and organizations we had to contact, on top of opening a new account, getting new checks, and getting new debit cards (with a new pin #, after we'd had our same one for over 10 years!). I can only imagine the pain and distress that identity theft causes, after we had this small taste of the hassles involved.

Frames and Artwork

2009-04-03T22:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not exactly following the book this month (or shall we say LAST MONTH?)...if I were my husband, I just might be having a nervous breakdown right now. (As I've posted before, he is much more of a role follower than I am.)

The other night I worked on excavating through one of the cupbards in our study that contained frames and artwork. True confession time: much of the artwork had been stored in there SINCE WE MOVED INTO THIS HOUSE IN 1999!! Some of the other pieces, many of which we have collected on our travels, have never been framed or displayed. Beautiful batik paintings from Indonesia, woodblock prints from Japan, and folk art from Mexico. These could be eye-catching works of art if they were adequately framed and displayed, yet they've been stuck in a cupboard.

I also inventoried all of the frames we have--insane! Of course most of the frames are photo frames and not suitable for the artwork! But again, we have photos that have never been framed, along with quite large collage frames that I believe we've had for many, many years...blank. (Of course most of the photos I take nowadays are all in my computer, which I suppose is one way of reducing the clutter [not getting them printed out]...)

After clearing out the cupboard, I went in with a dust buster. Our basement is somewhat finished--we have carpeting and walls up, but some of it is still unfinished, including the cupboards and storage areas. The cement and plaster had crumbled away into dust in areas, and I just about asphyxiated myself with the dust buster! I had to stop and go upstairs because I could barely breathe. (Okay, I'm exaggerating slightly, but I knew it wasn't the right way to proceed.) I have yet to go back in--I think next time I will attempt to sweep out the plaster dust first.

Next I need to make a list of the sizes of frames we need for our artwork, and actually do something about getting these pieces framed. And of course, use the photo frames as well. What a waste they all are, sitting in the cupboard!

March, Week Two: Save Time

2009-03-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, I know I am WAY past Week Two. I have fallen behind, I confess. But as I posted a few weeks ago, I knew this month was going to be difficult. We returned yesterday from nine days on vacation, and before that I was working a lot of overtime in the evenings and weekends (my organizing time).

I expect to be working on my study until well into April, because it's the biggest project in the house at the moment.

So...Week Two focuses on how to save time.

Multitasking

First, Regina Leeds discusses multitasking and offers suggestions on how to multitask effectively. I'm a major multitasker already; in face, I am one of those who should probably multitask LESS. For example, I'm known for reading while I'm walking. (Yes, it's true. I've only fallen once--and I ripped a hole in the knee of my trousers! Did I stop? Well, no...) Leeds talks about the art of multitasking...and the healthy way to multitask. (She would probably frown on my reading-while-walking habit...as many safety-conscious people would!)

Delegation

Could someone else do the mundane tasks that I do? I definitely could delegate more effectively, and that includes engaging my children more in the cleaning and organization of our house. As for the initial organization and decluttering, however, I do feel that I need to do this alone. My children are notoriously horrible at getting rid of things. Our oldest son cried when we had a new roof put on and the roofers carted away the old roofing materials! (This was many years ago, but it illustrates his sentimental attachment to things.) So my strategy is to do the decluttering and organizing myself and set up systems and processes so that they will be engaged in future cleaning efforts. I wish I could engage them in the decluttering, too, but trust me...that would not be an effective strategy. It would take me five years instead of the one.

In a total turnaround in our personalities, years ago Mike thought we should engage the kids in identifying things to donate to charity. I wanted to do it behind their backs. (This is a turnaround because I'm much more likely to be the one who wants to be up front and honest with the kids on a variety of topics.) He has now recognized that it's much more effective and quick to do it behind their backs. Most of the items we get rid of they never miss. Occasionally they do, and if they ask us "where did my N-Gamer magazine from May 2003 go?" I can blithely say "I have no earthly idea." It's not a lie, as I've explained to Mike.

Leeds talks about a woman she knows who is more caretaker than parent for her children, who never clean, do laundry, wash a dish, or have to pick up after themselves. Personally, I know we could improve in this area...I would like to engage my children in choosing menus and helping prepare the food in our house, for example. But we haven't gotten ourselves organized enough to do so. Perhaps that's on the list for next year, after we get our house organized. I do not want to raise sons who are incapable of doing laundry or cooking. I do not want their future partners to curse us! We have only 6 years left to get Chris trained in these areas, so we'd better get cracking!! He does clean, when prompted, but he could do more...as could Kieran. They are not the type of fantasy children who are dying to clean things (like one of my nephews), so it's really up to us to engage them more in this area.

Saying No

I've become much better at this...for example, I rarely commit to things that involve evening or weekend meetings. I have to spend a lot of time at work in meetings, and I have realized that I have a low tolerance for meetings after hours. I am trying to only engage in activities after work that enrich my life, are fun, or add value in some way.

Saying No to Electronic Pests

Leeds reminds us that we don't have to reply to every voice mail or e-mail that comes our way. And that we don't have to answer the phone each time it rings. Caller ID has been a huge godsend in our household. We never answer the phone unless we recognize the name AND want to talk to that person right at that time.

Have you ever phoned someone who picks up the phone and announces that it's a really bad time to talk? WHY DID THEY ANSWER THE PHONE??? It's beyond me. I think some people have a very difficult time just letting it ring. Just say no to answering the phone when you are busy!

Leeds also recommends using e-mail versus a phone call to communicate with people who are notoriously chatty. This can be a big time saver. She also reminds us that we don't have to be polite with telephone solicitors. That's why I don't answer the phone unless I know the person who is calling. I am polite to people who are soliciting for organizations I support, but for other purposes, I ask to be taken off their call list.

Visualizing Our Goals

Leeds advises that we take a few minutes and visualize what we want to see in our lives. This advice dovetails nicely with an article I read recently, in the "Everyday Cheapskate" newsletter. Author Mary Hunt talks about how many Americans feel poor right now, and advises ways to feel richer. One of these recommendations is curbing clutter. "If you have clutter, it's pulling you down." Amen, sister!

I need to continue to visualize a clean, organized house. Visualization works for me--it helped me to keep my hope alive when I gave birth to a 24-weeker, 1-pound, 6-ounce baby who had to stay in the NICU for 117 days, and it will propel me to keep decluttering and organizing.

What Really Matters?

Leeds suggests that we set a short-term goal and a long-term goal. So here goes:

Short term (to accomplish in the next year): Finish organizing each room in my house according to the One Year to an Organized Life book.

Long term (to accomplish in the next 5 years): Teach my children how to cook and do laundry.

Slow-down in My Organizing!

2009-03-16T22:08:00.001-07:00

I have to confess that I've hit a bit of a wall in my organizing efforts. I've been extra busy at work and have been working at home in the evenings and on the weekend, preventing me from tackling my study!

Combined with the fact that we will be gone for 9 days for spring break, I think it's nigh impossible that I will finish the study during March. I might have to spend 2 months on the study, which would be okay considering the fact that April is "bathrooms," and I already did a lot of cleaning and organizing in our bathrooms last winter. (Although painting the bathrooms is another project altogether!) I know that this would not suit my husband or my friend Shelia, who are serious rule followers. But this is my blog and my year of organizing, so there! ;)

On Friday we are leaving for spring break--we are going up to Vancouver Island, BC, for a week...with one night in the Seattle area sandwiched on either side. We have a house on the water, about 40 minutes outside of Victoria. I can't wait!!

Tonight was another evening of working on the laptop, keeping me from cleaning and organizing. I am hoping that I can get in at least a few more evenings this week before we are off on our adventures.

Books...Organized!!!

2009-03-11T21:03:00.000-07:00

I can't post any photos yet because the room is still a mess...but the bookshelves are highly organized! We now have two bookcases for fiction, and two for nonfiction. They are roughly arranged into the following categories:

writing
spirituality
women's issues
home improvement
gardening
crafts
travel
parenting
cooking
politics
fiction
memoir and biography
general nonfiction
library books

We've offloaded so many of our books (they are in bags and boxes ready to be sent off via paperbackswap.com, taken to the church library, or donated), we actually have quite a bit of empty space on our bookcases. A miracle!!! Maybe we will move more of our cookbooks downstairs. I really could get rid of more of our cookbooks!

I love cookbooks, but the reality is we often use the same ones over and over again. And nowadays I also look recipes up online--sometimes that's faster than poring through cookbooks. Maybe when the study is clean, I will be more likely to look in cookbooks I haven't used much before, because they will be easier to access!

I notice that I tend to prefer cookbooks with pictures in them. I told my mom that the other day, and she said that she prefers cookbooks without photos, because they can fit in more recipes. But I guess I'm a highly visual person. I always prefer visuals!

Well, enough time on the computer--I'd better get downstairs and put in some organizing time tonight...

The Continuing Thesaurus Saga...

2009-03-05T23:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, I misspoke. Apparently we have NO LESS THAN THREE thesauruses!! And I have to give my dear hubby a huge round of applause, because he has decided that the one I hadn't noticed, the Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, is the best of them all and has everything he needs...in one book! Glory hallelujah!!

He has also agreed to shed ALL of our Japanese language books plus quite a few of his many writers' books too. This is fun!! Now we will have two fiction bookcases and two nonfiction bookcases...very roughly organized into categories, when it makes sense.

These are just for adult books, of course...then we have the children's books upstairs in their rooms!

How Many Complete Book of the Olympics Does One Man Need

2009-03-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

This is the question of the day! One of the results of my book organizing is that amongst the 5 million Olympics books the love of my life owns, I've discovered two editions of this book, one from 1992 and one from 2000...do you think he will let me get rid of the 1992 version? I'm taking bets...

Okay, I Guess that One House Cannot Have Too Many Thesauruses!

2009-03-05T21:37:00.000-08:00

Apparently hubby likes both of them and uses them for different purposes. He informed me that one of them has all kinds of lists in it, such as a list of all kinds of horses! Haha! Don't ask. Never take away a thesaurus from a writer! (Although I too am a writer, so I guess that doesn't make much sense...)

Now I'm trying to organize our books into some semblance of order...we already have two shelves of writing books, and now I'm trying to group other genres together--such as poetry and collections, religion and spirituality, classics, etc. We'll see how far I get before I get fed up. We have A LOT of books, even though we are constantly cycling through them.

When I first met Mike and proposed to him the idea of turning in our books to used bookstores (we have Powell's here in Portland), he was horrified. But true to male form, I have discovered over the years that I must plant the seed and wait for it to grow. When it finally sank in that he could get MORE books if he turned in the ones he'd already read, he finally got with the program. Then he took tons of his old English books to Blackwell's in Oxford, and we got more money.

I have relegated some of our hefty Japanese dictionaries--there's one particularly enormous one that Mike got when he was doing some editing and translation for a Japanese kanji book--to a box for Mike to go through and consider whether we can move them along. Maybe I will leave it as my "seed" in the middle of the study and wait for it to grow on him! :)

How Many Thesauruses Does One House Need?

2009-03-04T21:19:00.000-08:00

I mean, really! Especially now that you can look just about anything up online. Until yesterday we had two. No more! I kept one...but maybe we don't really need it since we have the internet...hmm...now you've got me thinking...

An appraiser is coming tomorrow to take a look at our house--we are in the midst of the refinancing process, getting all our ducks in a row in case the interest rates fall. I wish all of our house was cleaned and organized, but alas, it is not. I hope it doesn't horrify her. But I'm sure she's used to appraising the bones and potential of the house and overlooking the mess...I hope! At least the kitchen and our bedroom are still clean!!! Hooray!

Just Wading through the Muck

2009-03-03T23:01:00.001-08:00

Last night I came up with a big bag of spiritual-related books to donate to the church library. Even though we haven't read all of them, now we know where to find them if we do want to read them...and other people can benefit from them as well.

I continued wading through the much this evening, disposing of stuff and trying to put what's left into some semblance of organization. We seem to have an excess of Christmas gift bags! Funny, because I often tend to wrap our presents. I will have to commit to using them this year instead.

Some of the treasures that are destined for Goodwill are a version of Our Bodies Ourselves, updated for the 90s!! Think I'll be consulting that if I have a health problem?? And a Personal Finance for Dummies published in 1997. Surely things have changed since then! I also earmarked for donation a bunch of old three-ring binders. We have an excess of gardening books which probably need to be weeded (ha!) out too!

Wonder if my lovely husband will agree to get rid of any of his many Olympics books? His writing books occupy two shelves of the bookcase, but I trust that he actually looks at them occasionally and doesn't just collect them for memorabilia. His corner of paperwork and articles, etc., is growing.

One result of all my decluttering is that I have over $50 in trade at my favorite resale store! With more to come, I'm sure. I'm brutally discarding toys that haven't been played with much, and last December I already tore through the game closet, giving away or discarding much of the games. The reality is that oldest son loves the Wii, books, and music; middle son loves art, dress-up, and producing plays; and young son has the biggest burst of testosterone, loving cars, trucks, and balls--oh, and Cinderella--so much for the testosterone burst! :)

I can see the floor in parts of the study, at least, which is an improvement.

CD ROMs, Books, and Piles of Crap

2009-03-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

My 12-year-old son told me that he was giving me permission to swear in my blog, but he suggested that I not use the "F" word. He doesn't read this blog (thank God--otherwise he would learn how much of our possessions I'm disposing of!!), only the other one, so I'm going to feel free to let rip (as much as I do, which is not much). Granted, my mother-in-law does read this blog, but I'm hoping she will forgive me for my foul language!

CRAP. JUNK. SHITLOADS OF GARBAGE.

Today I spent several hours filling Goodwill, garbage, and recycling bags, and making a small dent in the office clutter. Before we got a Wii, Chris enjoyed playing CD-ROMs on the computer. However, he hardly ever does any more, and we had boxes of them. Kieran, the 5-year-old, likes to watch movies but has expressed very little interest in the computer himself. So I went through the boxes of CD-ROMs and also quite a few CDs and kept very few. We'll see if Chris notices!

I've been going wild posting books on Paperbackswap.com, too, which is a slow way to move our books along, but I already have around 13 credits amassed...and have been using very few of them, since I'm loath to accumulate more books. The site is good to use for gifts though (I ordered quite a few family Christmas gifts from there), and I do occasionally order novels or other books that are nice to have.

I have four big bags for Mike to take to Goodwill this week, and a bag of CD-ROMs to take to the resale shop (in case they want any of them), with more to come!

The major areas in our study that need to be organized, in addition to the general CRAP, follow:

My art supplies--paper, pens, beading, and other craft supplies
Gifts--I collect gifts ahead of time and they tend to spill out of our gift boxes
Holiday and wrapping stuff
Frames and artwork
Mike's writing stuff
Filing and paperwork
Books
Cards, photos, and memorabilia
Office supplies

I think that covers most of the items that don't fit into the CRAP category.

March, Week One: Home Office Questions

2009-03-01T21:59:00.000-08:00

Leeds begins this chapter by asking the reader to answer "yes" or "no" to these questions:

1. I have the money in my account but I forget to pay my bills on time.
No: if it were up to me, I might pay my bills late. But as I said previously, Mike is on top of this.
2. The minute I see a legal paper of any kind, I become immobilized. I just don't deal with it.
Not exactly: I don't become immobilized, but I don't generally have a lot of patience for minutae.
3. I could be more productive at work if I didn't have a million voice mail messages, e-mails, and faxes to respond to.
Yes: I seriously have to get my work life organized too. I keep on top of my voice messages and e-mails, generally, but I do not do an adequate job of filing my e-mails and deleting unnecessary ones. And I get A LOT of e-mails. Regina also has a book about One Year to an Organized Work Life, which I plan to get my hands on!
4. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Good help is hard to find.
Yes: isn't that the mantra of the oldest child? Mike and I are both oldest children, so we are really sunk.
5. I'm too busy with other things to file my papers.
Yes: Given that we do have a paper problem, I suppose the answer to this question, honestly, would be yes.

Leeds says that each one of these statements is based on fear, and she poses several questions to flesh out these fears. Here are some of them:

What do you remember about your childhood in terms of the work lives of your parents? Did they enjoy what they did?

Yes, I believe they did. Both of my parents earned their bachelor's degrees in education but then later in life went back for master's degrees, in social work and counseling. So I did get the sense that they pursued their gifts and their interests in finding careers.

How did your parents relate to paper?

I don't remember my parents struggling quite as much with paper as we do, but I think when I was a child we just didn't have as much PAPER! (in the dark ages...) Seriously, though, we didn't have the excesses of everything that we do now.

Did you pick up after yourself as a child or did someone do that for you?

Certainly no one picked up after me! Even as a child, I was a "piler." Early in my life, I developed the habit of accumulating clutter, and then occasionally going on a clean sweep and cleaning the whole lot, feeling a great sense of satisfaction. I was certainly never a neatnik, but I also was never a complete slob.

Were you a good student with effective study habits?

I've always been the type of person who spends more time doing what I really enjoy. I guess I'm lazy! The result was I got to high school and had never really had to study much before, so I didn't do very well in Algebra 2 or Physics...and my grade point average really suffered. I was able to turn it around my senior year and college. But I have seen this tendency in my oldest son, who definitely prefers literature, history, and language arts over math and science! The way it manifests itself in my life is that I spend my time doing things I enjoy, while less enjoyable tasks do not always get done (hence my disorganized house).

Are you married? Yes. Are you the one who handles the day-to-day business? No. Do you feel that you are appreciated? Yes. Would you be happy if you could turn the reins over to someone else, whether that's your spouse, an assistant, a CPA, or a bookkeeper? As I've said, Mike handles many of the house details already. I struggle with guilt about paying someone to clean our house or do other tasks I should be capable of doing myself. It's not so much fear as guilt! And I do know a number of people (my sister included) who have had house cleaner nightmares...so I guess there is a certain amount of mistrust as well.

Are you on top of your paperwork? If not, has it always been an issue? Or did something derail you? For the most part, we are on top of it, but there is definitely room for improvement!

Leeds then tells three stories about her clients and their individual struggles with paper in their lives. One question she asks is whether our distribution of labor regarding home paperwork benefits both of us. This is a question Mike and I should discuss. I'm curious to know whether he feels the paperwork responsibility is a burden, and whether it's something we should be sharing. He describes himself as "obsessive" about these types of details, so I suspect that he wouldn't want to share it with me. (Similar to how he feels about driving the car: he prefers to be in control, which is fine with me, because I'd rather be reading!)

The goal of this first week is to "uncover your personal relationship with the business of life." My goal of this first week is to make a healthy headway in the mess that is our office.

March: Organizing the Business of Life

2009-03-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

March is the month to tackle the home office. It's a good thing that March is a long month, because we are going to need every possible opportunity to clean and organize the messiest and least-organized room in our house. It's become a trash heap. We have an enormous paper and book problem.

I used the remaining days of February to make some headway in clearing out the kids' bedrooms, and I have only made a dent in that project. But since today is the first day of March, I could no longer put off beginning to tackle the study.

In the introduction to March, Regina Leeds talks about the need to conquer "the paper bogeyman." She says that many adults fear tackling the piles of paper for fear that they will throw away something important. In our house, I describe Mike as the "household manager," which is far more all-encompassing than "stay-at-home dad." I earn the income, but he does our taxes and pays the bills--in addition to taking care of the kids and organizing their lives and commitments. (I think I have the easier job!) He also organizes our paperwork and files, and usually does a very good job of it. (We've already received our tax refund!) However, with the demands of three children, combined with the fact that both of us are heavy readers, we seem to have accumulated lots of piles of paper!

Leeds recommends asking the experts in the field (financial advisors, tax preparers, real estate agents) if we wonder how long to keep a particular document. In many cases, this information can be obtained on the internet. She also gives some general guidelines of how long to keep certain records such as credit card receipts, warranties, insurance policies, tax records, and mortgage information). She also advises keeping the most important papers in a fireproof safe or box. (NOTE TO MIKE: We need to buy a fireproof box!)

She also makes the point that many of the papers and articles we feel we have to hold onto can be now found on the internet. Mike has a tendency to collect writing articles, which pile up and don't get filed away. (I'm not sure whether he actually reads them later on or not.) For now, I'm piling all of his papers in one corner of the study, in the hopes that he will be brutal in weeding through them. Leeds says that "our goal is to fly free, taking with us only what we truly need. Think lean and mean. Well, okay, lean and organized!"

The big event the book covers this month is learning how to set up a file system. Since we already have a reasonably okay filing system, for me the task will be organizing and cleaning the study so that it can be a nice place to sit in (and so we don't have to close the door when guests come over!). If I have time left over, perhaps we can revamp our filing system.

The habit of the month: Leeds suggests that when we open our mail, we toss away extraneous matter. This, I'm happy to say, we already do. Mike leaves the mail out for me to look over when I come home, and then we immediately recycle as much as we can. At least this is one extra habit I will not need to add to my list...since I'll have my hands full with the office cleaning!

February, Week Four: Creating a Bedroom You Love

2009-02-24T20:38:00.001-08:00

I haven't exactly followed Leeds' program for the bedroom--instead, I've created my own. The closet was the first thing I tackled, ahead of when it was scheduled in the book. And I ended up finishing the bedroom this weekend, without reading Week Four.

However, I haven't quite created "a bedroom I love." That will have to wait until I finish the rest of my organizing. I have committed to decluttering and organizing before I settle into home improvement, which is what the bedroom ultimately needs: new paint and a new floor, at the very least.

In Week Four, Leeds gives more guidance on organizing one's closet. She suggests organizing clothing by color (which I have been doing, more or less, for years now--got one thing right!). She also suggests using clear shoe racks and organizing one's purses.

Here are some other closet suggestions: having everything face the same direction (check), using one type of hangers (haven't quite achieved that, but I did get rid of the wire hangers), throwing away plastic covers from the cleaners, keeping specific types of clothing together (N/A), arranging everything in color order (check), and keeping shoes off the floor (check).

Leeds also makes recommendations for reorganizing one's purse. This is one area where I don't have too many clutter issues: I've always been a light packer, whether I'm traveling or just going out and about, and I don't carry too many unnecessary things in my purse...and I regularly clean it out. Leeds looks in her purse every evening and pulls out the things she's added that day (e.g., receipts). I'm not quite that methodical, but in general this is an area that I seem to have control over.

Leeds does not like metal hangers that hold multiple pairs of pants or skirts and recommends that the reader "ditch" them. I bought a couple of such hangers a few years ago, and I actually like them--with a small closet, I find that they help me keep my pants accessible. They are kind of a pain sometimes...but they are a space saver and I'm keeping them. She also dislikes sweater hangers, and as I mentioned earlier in the month, I did get rid of one of those, in addition to a shoe hanger. I'm going to put them in my kids' closets, where there is a lot more room (oddly, both of the kids' bedrooms have walk-in closets, unlike the master bedroom).

Finally, Leeds discusses ways to create your own bedroom sanctuary. I'm not quite at that place yet...but I hope to return to that task after I get the rest of my life organized. At least, for now, we have some peace and order in our bedroom!

My mother-in-law has been asking to see our before and after photos, so here they are in all their decrepit glory. And I just have to clarify to her that we HAVE dusted in the past 2 years!

Because our bedroom is on our main floor, it tends to be the room where everything gets dumped, and the kids gather (in our bed). Therefore, the bed and room seem to attract a lot of kid clutter on a regular basis!

These photos are really embarassing!! Look at those horrible dressers! Can you believe we were living in that chaos and going to sleep every night looking at that?

Buried in all the clutter was a beautiful ceramic blessing bowl a dear friend gave me. I have NEVER used it. But now that I can see it, at last, I intend to fill the bowl with written blessings. I would also like to find a way to hang more of our photos so that we clear off even more dresser space.

The basket on the side of my bed has been there for at least 2 years, if not longer, ever since I was on maternity leave. It was full of books, journals, and other stuff. I cleaned out my bedside table so that I could keep some of the books in the bedside table...and voila, a clean floor!

Look at that eyesore! Previously I posted photos of our clean closet (still clean).

I have to give full credit to my lovely husband, who very willingly purged his clothing, cleaned out his bedside table (inside and top), and cleaned out and off his dresser...and vacuumed when we were all done! He's also been helping to keep the kitchen clean since January!

Now that I'm done with the bedroom, I'm going to use the remainder of February to keep purging items from the kids' bedrooms and the study (which will be the focus for March).

Given that the study is the worst room in the house (with possible exception of our former cat's room in the basement, filled with stuff), it is going to take me all month to tackle it! I know my mother-in-law is waiting with bated breath, and will be completely shocked if we actually plow our way through the mess! (Hi, Olga!)

Onward and upward!

Our Family Is Drowning in Books!!

2009-02-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, I dragged myself up (still being sick) to one of the upstairs bedrooms to start burying my way through the crap. We have two bedrooms for three boys, and right now the two older ones are in the larger bedroom, but it's all temporary. Eventually...when the 2-year-old starts sleeping through the night (when hell freezes over?)...the two younger ones will share the larger room. Chris (the 12-year-old) is not too keen on that idea, because it involves giving up the bedroom he's had since he was three. But for now, he's putting up with having a 5-year-old camp in his room.

At any rate, both rooms are trash heaps, for two reasons: (1) the temporary nature of the sleeping arrangements, such as the crib set up in one room that is no longer used because the 2-year-old was jumping out of it, and (2) as my mom once said, our kids seem to love messes. I really do believe that's true.

What's worsening the situation is that Nicholas (2) is going through another phase where he loves to pull everything out of drawers, cupboards, purses, you name it. He has gone through these phases before and then passed out of it, so we can only hope.

I went upstairs today to start tackling one of the bedrooms. I've only made a small dent in it, alas, but at least it's a dent. At one point last year I had made quite a bit of headway in the room and even cleaned out the walk-in closet, but one evening we had friends over and all the kids trashed the place. The closet hasn't been cleaned up since then.

I'm coming to the conclusion that our children use only about 20 to 25 % of what they own...if that. So I'm trying to be somewhat brutal in discarding things. We have a huge quantity of stuffed animals, but they hardly ever play with them. (They seem to prefer the little plastic characters!) We are overloaded with books, books, and more books! Plus we are constant users of not one, but two, libraries!, so do we really need to own so many books?

Much of what I was doing today involved going through books and designating piles for paperbackswap.com, the consignment store, and Goodwill. While at the consignment store this afternoon, I heard one woman say that Goodwill will no longer take a lot of toys because of the new lead rules. So now I'm going to feel even more guilty getting rid of the toys, but it can't be helped.

The owner of the shop told me that she heard recently that keys have lead in them. I just looked it up--sure enough. How many parents have let their babies play with their keys? Good God! What will we discover next?

I forgot to take a before-and-after photo of the bedroom. It's still a mess, but not as bad as it was. I'll have to remember to take a photo of the other one, once I get brave enough to go in there.

My goal is to clean and organize the rooms reasonably well so that when it's time to do the bedroom shift, it will be much easier.

I haven't finished our bedroom yet, but I figured that while I had time during the day (and the kids were out of the house, with Mike at the children's museum), I should take advantage of it.

More on "Not Buying It"

2009-02-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

My organizing activities have slowed down quite a bit this week because I caught my 2-year-old's cold/flu bug! However, I took the day off today so I'm hoping I can drag myself upstairs to start on the kids' bedrooms, even though I'm still feeling great.

This morning I finished Judith Levine's Not Buying It. Levine and her partner Paul decided to go for a year without buying anything beyond food, personal care items, and bare essentials (such as the New York Times). You can read my full review on GoodReads.com, if you're interested. But here are some random points related to the topic of this blog:

Levine points out the irony of Real Simple magazine: Mike gave me a copy of Real Simple featuring organizing lists for Epiphany...and although I enjoyed reading it and got some ideas out of it, in general it does promote shopping! Although it does promote some positive, simplifying ideas, it also encourages the reader to buy new, expensive, shiny and simple-looking products. The title of the magazine is somewhat deceptive, I agree.
Because she's not buying books, she becomes a big library patron (as am I). Where we differ is that I live in the beautiful, book-loving city of Portland, Oregon, where we always pass library bonds and fund our libraries adequately. She talks about the distressing state of most of our public libraries, and her difficulty in finding good reference books for such simple things as making silk flowers. I feel very lucky that I do not have to deal with that, and I am a huge believer in library funding!!
I am dismayed at Levine's refusal to pay more than $0.25 per visit when she goes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The "suggested donation" was $12 at the time of writing the book. She's chagrined at the cashiers' consistent lack of thank yous for her paltry donation. She believes that the Met is so wealthy that it doesn't need her money. This is not because of her year of not buying it, but simply because she is being a skinflint. In fact, she saves $8,000 that year. Couldn't she have given a little of it to the museum? Even $5 or 6?
Levine goes to visit a man named Richard, who lives far off the grid. He explains why he keeps his small amount of money out of the bank, because it's "more likely than not your money will be financing some venture that is unfair to people, unfriendly to the earth, or both. In a bank or stocks, money gets up to no good. It's filthy lucre." Very good point. In our daily lives, we constantly make compromises, in our purchases and our investments. Levine does, too, when she has to buy clothing for her elderly father who is in stages of advanced dementia. She opts for the inexpensive, sweatshop variety of clothing for him--not only because it is cheap, but also because he wouldn't care what it looked like. Another compromise, as she realizes all too well.
Again, another reason to be grateful for Portland, Oregon: Levine and her partner save their hazardous wastes and take them to a disposal site and pay $23 to get rid of them. In Portland, our METRO government has regular hazardous waste collection days. As she says, "in America, saving the earth is something of a bourgeois consumer privilege." This is indeed true. The same can be said for eating healthy.
Levine does cave in a couple of times to buy items of clothing. On one occasion, she describes the appeal of going shopping and buying something fun and flirty. I have to confess that I have experienced that rush as well...usually for me it's finding something delightful at a great bargain. If I pay too much for something, I usually feel guilty about it. Lately, I've been trying to stay out of the stores unless I have a specific purpose, and focus on organizing and offloading instead.
As partner Paul is preparing to install a "closet system," Levine mulls over the whole concept of household organization, including closet systems. Just think: The Container Store, Hold Everything, Linens and Things, and other storage stores hardly existed 20 years ago, and now they are everywhere. We have more CRAP, and we need more places to store it. That's not even considering the preponderance of self-storage units out there. Apparently Americans spend about $100 million per year on closet systems. (I am not criticizing all closet system purchases, but just marveling at the fact that we spend so much money organizing all of our stuff!!)

(Google Facts: The self-storage industry grew from about 289 million square feet in 1984 to nearly 2.2 billion square feet by the end of 2007, according to the Self Storage Association. The average American home has grown from 1,400 square feet in 1970 to 2,300 square feet today, but the average size of the household has shrunk from 3.1 to 2.5.)
Levine rants about Bush quite a lot (after all, the year of not buying was 2004, during election season). I was reminded of his great idea to have Americans open private investment accounts for Social Security--remember that grand plan? Where would we all be now if he had been successful? In the toilet even more than we already are. Interesting that Republicans don't talk about that idea any more...further, Levine's observations about American's shopping habits and corporate greed are very timely given today's economic crisis.

I like books like this that make me think about my own habits and lifestyle. I am thinking more carefully about what I am purchasing and how much good I will get out of my purchases. I'm already quite thrifty, but my concern about how many possessions we have (that we don't use much!) is making me think much more carefully about every purchase.

Gee, Thanks!

2009-02-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

My knitting friend Katy (our sons have been friends since preschool) nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger award. (I'm not entirely sure what this award is or why it's spelled wrong...but I'm all for spreading the word about blogs!) I gather that it's for blogs about creativity...

Here are the rules:
1. Copy the award to your site.
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate 7 other bloggers.
4. Link to those on your blog.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominated.

And here are the blogs that I think you should check out.

1. The Year of Living Obsessively, by Jennifer in Arizona. Jennifer found me a via a web search on One Year to an Organized Life. It turns out that we both found the book and had the same idea to blog about our adventures. I especially appreciated the fact that she too has three kids and a disorganized life. It's been really fun to have a blog friend on my journey. Jennifer also has another blog, Broken Bananas, in which she chronicles her own adventures with three kids.

2. Another new blogger friend lives in Arizona and blogs at Life According to Lizzi. I "met" Lizzi via Goodreads--we have similar taste in books--and I love her well-designed and creative blog. She just posted photos of her new house, and it's easy to see that she's an artist at heart.

3. I think I discovered Collage Diva via Lizzi's blog. She is blogging her way through the 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women, a book I own but have never read! Maybe that will come

4. Lelo in Nopo blogs about Portland living, food, and creative pursuits. I don't her know personally, but she appears to be a highly creative person, and I always enjoy reading her blog.

5. Posie Gets Cozy is another blog about creative pursuits, crafts, cooking, and Portland life. I especially enjoyed her recent post about Portland hill walks.

6. Susan Beal writes West Coast Crafty. She is another Portland blogger who writes about crafts and has recently published a book, Bead Simple.

7. Another crafty blogger who has written a book (Bend-the-Rules Sewing), Amy Karol blogs about her crafting and creativity at Angry Chicken--love that name!

8. And one final nomination, since every single one of these bloggers is a woman. Chris Bohjalian is one of the few novelists I know who regularly blogs. It helps that he writes a column for a local newspaper and can just use his columns...but I always enjoy reading his writing (as well as his novels).

Okay--so I bent the rules a little and tagged eight blogs instead of seven. I hope the blogging gods will forgive me!

Not Buying It

2009-02-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

I'm reading Judith Levine's book, Not Buying It, at the moment. The reviews of the book are mixed, but so far I'm enjoying it. She wrote it in 2003, and it's fascinating to note that after 9/11, the Bush administration exhorted and urged people to BUY MORE!!! And look at the mess we are in now.

Here are some interesting points she makes:

The average new American home grew 150 to 200 square feet every few years, from 1,660 square feet in 1973 to 2,400 square feet in 2004, with many measuring four times that size.
"Interest rates or currency supply want a little nudging by central bankers now and then, and prices and wages may ask for a little bullying by legislators and regulators. But these are just adjustments around the edges. For the most part, Adam Smith's Invisible Hand guides itself." No longer is this the case, as all know too well!
There is a business to be made in providing crisis intervention services for people suffering from "disposaphobia." And Ron Alford of Disaster Masters, Inc., has capitalized on this need! I like this term, disposaphobia! It's what my children have...and it's what I fight against every day!! Check out these before and after photos ...they make me feel so much better about my own clutter!

My organizing year is already forcing me to think twice about buying things, and this book comes at a perfect time. Do we really need a new bedroom set, or should we refinish the one we have?

February, Week 3: Take Time for Your Space

2009-02-17T16:23:00.000-08:00

I have not been going as great guns this month as I did in January, partly because my kitchen organizing was such a huge project! We have been making headway in our bedroom, but we're not done yet (with the dressers)...so I haven't posted the photos yet.

Last weekend I went through the bin on our floor that was full of all sorts of odd items (!), cleaned out and reorganized my bedside table, got rid of all the stuff by the bed in a basket that has been there since I was on maternity leave, and began working on the top of my dresser. My hubby also cleaned out his bedside table and part of the closet as well.

The lovely thing about cleaning out the bedside table is that I now have room for some of the items (books, etc.) that were in the basket on the floor...such as my One Year to an Organized Life book!

I'm hoping to finish the dresser in a few days...as soon as I recover from the nasty cold/flu that I got from my 2-year-old. I don't feel up to much cleaning today...but blogging is fairly low effort.

February, Week 3 concentrates on creating a shopping list for any tools, further examining how we spend our time, and considering how to maximize closet space.

I guess I should have read this chapter before finishing my closet! Oh well. Someday perhaps I will want to invest in one of those really expensive, fancy closet systems...but for now, we have the basics of one and that's just fine with me.

What's It All About?

Q: Leeds asks how to get your my personal and work environments to support you. Why are you embarking on this organizational process, and what are you seeking? How will this work change your life for the better?

A: I anticipate that a more organized, cleaner space will decrease the stress in my life and improve my overall mood when I am at home. I seek to be able to find things easily, without having to fight through clutter. (Sunday a friend called to ask if they could borrow our DVD of the Lion King. I knew we had it, and Kieran and I found the case...but could we find the DVD itself? No. This is what I want to prevent or at least minimize in the future.)

Q: Has there ever been a time when you knew exactly what you wanted to do with your life? Did you stick to those goals, or did something else force you to take an unexpected direction?

A: I always admired my sister, who knew she wanted to be a doctor at an early age. I have been more likely to just follow the path in front of me, taking detours when they looked interesting or challenging! I knew I wanted to be a mom--I guess that's one thing that I did apply myself to. I never imagined that I would be a publications manager at an engineering firm, though!

Q: Are you in the middle of life changes?

A: Not really. Unless you count the impending teenagerhood of my first child!

Q: What do you do well? Is there any way you could make money using your gifts?

A: Coming up with ideas. Finding creative ways to think about things. Helping people. Buying or making people gifts. Being a friend. Supporting others when they are going through tough times. Planning events. Writing. Leading projects or teams. Networking. Fortunately, my job seems to use many of those talents...I guess I'm lucky!

Q: If you could do anything you wanted in life, what would that be? Dream big.

A: I think I'd be a full-time writer and travel the world. If I were to attempt that, I'd have to take a big pay cut...so at this stage in my life that's not really an option.

Organizing Tools

Leeds then suggests that the reader make a list of organizing tools I need for the bedroom.

Hangers: She likes wooden hangers--I do too, but I'm sticking with the plastic to save $. I did get rid of the old wire ones though.

Shelf Dividers and Stackable Drawers: Check--already have enough of these. Same with acrylic boxes.

Shoe Racks: I used the stackable drawers for my shoes after I got rid of the hanging shoe rack. If I had a bigger cloest, I'd definitely go for shoe racks.

Jewelry Organizers: I have an earring and necklace hanger on the wall (which needs to be dusted) and two jewelry boxes. I like jewelry! None of it is expensive though. I suppose I could try to get down to one jewelry box, but it would probably be hard.

Drawer Organizers: I could probably invest in a few dividers for my sock and underwear drawers.

Belt and Tie Organizers: I don't really wear belts. I put all my scarves (which I also don't wear that often) in a bag on the closet floor. My husband seldom wears ties, but he has a tie hanger.

Leeds suggests that the reader have a closet organizer come out and give a professional design (there is no charge for the design itself). Because I'm trying to do my organizing year inexpensively (especially in this economy), I've elected to work with what I have for the most part.

In the Drawers

2009-02-12T23:03:00.000-08:00

I've been having problems with Blogger lately, so I haven't posted for a few days.

Last weekend I tackled my sock and underwear drawers. Similar to many other orifices in my home, I don't think they'd been cleaned out for years! I took the opportunity to get rid of some of the shabbier articles of clothing and voila, much cleaner drawers! Here are the befores and afters (it's not every day that I show people my underwear drawer!!!):

Tonight Mike and I both cleaned out the drawers of our bedside tables. I found THREE smelly eye mask thingies, two gel eye masks, along with various journals and other things I never use. (I did not buy the eye masks for myself!! They, along with tons of bath products, have been given to me by family members and friends who clearly think I need to do a better job of relaxing!) I also cleared out the basket of books and other stuff that's been on the floor by the side of my bed ever since I was on maternity leave 2 years ago!!! (The contents have changed, but the basket has been there ever since!)

This weekend I'm tackling the top of my dresser...the WORST part of my bedroom.

Good night!

February, Week Two: Get to the Bottom of Your Closet

2009-02-08T14:46:00.001-08:00

I was so excited to tackle my closet that I jumped right in before reading the chapter! It seemed to be the best place to start on our bedroom.

Previously, I had two hanging racks for shoes and sweaters...plus two two-drawered plastic containers, which contained swimsuits, nylons, belts, and scarves. My pajamas were piled up on the plastic containers, and the floor space (out of sight) had tons of purses and other paraphernalia. The top shelf contained sweatshirts and my wedding dress (in a box)!

After going through my closet and consigning clothes to Goodwill (Regina Leeds asks questions in this chapter about whether the reader has emotional or sentimental connections the clothing one keeps--and this is not really the case for me), I followed her suggestions and sacked the shoe and sweater hangers (which were COMPLETELY covered with dust on top!), and it really freed up the space in my closet. My shoes moved into the plastic drawers, and my sweatshirts, nylons, and swimming stuff are now in containers on the top shelf. I rolled up my pajamas and put them in a basket on the floor, along with my various purses and bags. And the scarves are all contained in a purse on the floor as well.

I got rid of all the cheap wire hangers (as Leeds recommends) as well.

Mike has still not gone through his clothes (or shoes--on the very top shelf), but has promised to do so. Although, I must confess, he doesn't have nearly the amount of clothing I do! On the other hand, most of my clothes in the closet are for work...and he can just wear jeans most days.

I am perfectly delighted with my clean closet!!! And now onto the dresser!

Closet Chaos

2009-02-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wish I had a nice, big walk-in closet. Our upstairs bedrooms have walk-in closets, but oddly, the master bedroom does not. I'm sort of a closet hog...I have two-thirds of the closet, at least, and poor Mike has a third! But most of it contains work clothes, so I suppose I have an excuse.

During the last two nights, I've been going through my closet, weeding out items to give away. I've identified several skirts I've had for years and have not worn much, and I've also discovered that I seem to have a preponderance of jackets. My most typical work attire is trousers, top, and a jacket...so there you go. I think, however, that I probably have too many...so I will go back and take another look. I did discard one of the two similar black blazers I own.

I followed Regina Leeds' advice and took down my hanging sweater and shoe dividers, which created a lot more room for my jackets! (Leeds does not like the hanging trouser holders, either, but I'm keeping those--I do find them to be a space saver.) I also got rid of all the cheap wire hangers that have come from the dry cleaners.

I'm putting away my swimming stuff to the very top shelf in the back, since I don't use them often. And I put all my scarves in a bag, and my nylons and tights in plastic containers. This freed up space in the plastic bins on the floor...for my shoes. Let's hope that puts Nicholas off the scent for awhile!!

I should be able to finish the closet by tomorrow and be able to move onto my dresser next. Already, the closet is looking better!!

In the meantime, I'm off to make chicken tortilla casserole for friends who are visiting from Washington DC...in my still-clean kitchen!!! :)

February, Week One: Bedroom Questions (continued)

2009-02-04T21:36:00.001-08:00

My blogging friend Jennifer has very bravely posted photos of her bedroom. I'm not quite as brave of that. I'm going to wait until I have cleaned and organized areas of my bedroom before I post photos.

But I still have a bit of writing to do before moving on. I still have to make a plan. I'm supposed to list all the improvements and changes I'd like to make in my bedroom. First, I will list what I can do this month, and next, I'll list the things I will do over time. So here we go:

This Month:

1. Go thoroughly through my closet and designate which clothes to donate

2. Go through the dresser and do the same

3. Clean out my closet and reorganize

4. Clean and organize the inside of my dresser

5. Clean the top of my dresser

6. Clean the floor on my side of the bed (I have quite the collection of books and magazines!)

7. Clean out my bedside table

8. Clean the remainder of the floor

9. Help Mike go through his clothes (hint, hint, honey!)

10. Help Mike go through his side of the closet

11. Clean Mike's bedside table

12. Thoroughly dust the room, including baseboards and windows

13. Vacuum

14. Clean the closet doors

15. Wash all the bedding

And Later:

1. Buy a new bedroom set

2. Paint the walls

3. Rip up carpet and decide on flooring

Leeds asks the reader to think about the location of his or her clothing. Is it tossed onto the floor, or draped over a chair? (Confession: Sometimes I drape my clothes over my closet rod because I don't have enough spare hangers accessible to hang them all up.) What else besides clothing is stored in my closet? Shoes, pantyhose, scarves, purses...and clothes to take for dry cleaning or mending. Is there space in my closet or is everything smashed together? Smashed together. I'm already looking forward to applying organization principles to my closet!! Do I have multiple wardrobes in my closet because my weight fluctuates? Thank God, no...although I do generally store my out-of-season clothing in the attic.

And finally, Is the closet floor a shoe graveyard? Now that is indeed a very interesting question...

...Because this little adorable gentleman has recently developed a women's shoe fetish. I have one of those hanging shoe containers in my closet (Regina Leeds highly encourages her readers to reconsider the use of those things, because she thinks they take up too much space)...and Nicholas daily takes out my heels and tromps around the house in them.

Yes, a two-year-old cross dresser. Progressive parents that we are, this is not alarming to us. I mean, can you blame little boys for realizing that women and girls have much better clothing and shoes??? Boys and men's clothes are SO boring! And the shoes don't make nearly as much of a satisfying clomp on wooden floors as pumps do.

So at any rate, I am having a horrible time keeping my shoes organized...and even located in my bedroom. They are ending up all over the house. Yesterday Mike had to keep Nicholas from wearing my boots to go to the grocery store. (I thanked him profusely for that!)

So one of my goals in my bedroom organization will be to put my shoes out of reach somehow. Yes, I will be taking away all of his fun! I might still let him wear my shoes occasionally, but one pair at a time!

Okay, so enough pontificating. Onto the fun part: going through my clothes and purging!

February, Week One: Bedroom Questions

2009-02-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

The focus this week is to diagnose my bedroom's shortcomings, devise a plan for transformation, and take a clinical look at my wardrobe.

Here are some of the questions Leeds covers, and my answers:

Childhood sleeping arrangements: This is an interesting point to ponder, as when I was a child, my parents felt it was important for everyone to have his or her own space. Even though we didn't have tons of money, I always had my own bedroom. Until I was 14, we had a four-bedroom house, and then in my later teen years we had a five-bedroom house. At one point, my sister and I shared a room to try it out, and we enjoyed it, but eventually went back to having separate bedrooms because we liked having our own space.

I have always wanted to give our kids their own rooms, too; however, then we ended up having three kids! In order for each of them to have their own rooms, we'd have to give up our study or family room. (During my childhood, people were less likely to have designated "office" rooms.) On the other hand, they spend a heck of a lot less time in their bedrooms than we did as children.

Control over bedroom decor as a child: Fortunately, I had complete control over my bedroom decor as a kid. My parents helped me with paint, bedding, and curtains. When I was younger, I had a red, white, and blue room--with flag curtains and a royal blue carpet. (To this day, I still like blue carpet!) Those of you who know me well probably find this fascinating--who would have thought me to be such a patriot?! :)

Then when we moved into our newer house when I was 14, I took the smallest bedroom in the house, and my dad built me a fantastic loft bed with a built-in desk and dresser. (Even though he'd never even made a drawer beforehand!) I LOVED it. My walls and curtains were yellow, and my desk and matching bookshelves were in green formica. I know...sounds very 70s/80s, but it was great.

Current bedroom: When we moved in, the bedroom was painted a wine color, and we haven't gotten around to repainting it. The color has grown on us, but the room is way overdue for a paint job and new floors. So I'm not that crazy about our bedroom, but it's okay. Leeds asks what I like and dislike about my bedroom, and the answer is (1) not a whole lot and (2) the clutter. The bedroom desperately needs a complete redecorating, and we just haven't put a lot of energy into it.

Can I remodel easily? Yes, I think that we could repaint and refloor, and it would vastly improve the room. Also, new furniture would be a big improvement!

Is the room filled with things from my past, and is the past heavily represented in my space? Our bedroom furniture is mostly hand-me-downs. Our bed frame (which we are not using at the moment) and my dresser belonged to my grandparents. We bought a matching cherry dresser for Mike. Our bedside tables are both hand-me-downs we got from my cousin (along with other furniture) when we got married. None of it looks new or nice; it's functional but nothing particularly pretty. I actually fantasize about having a four-poster bed (like Regina Leeds' childhood room), but it would probably take up too much space in our smallish bedroom. That's why we still have a full-size bed. Bedrooms in older homes are not usually very big.

Do I share this room with someone? Yes, my husband...and fortunately, we have similar tastes in decor. I probably do occupy a lot more of the bedroom than he does...most of the closet space is mine!!

The next step is to make a plan for the room--what I can do this month, and what I will do over time. That will be the topic of my next post.

February: Creating a Bedroom Sanctuary

2009-02-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

In the introduction to February, Regina Leeds asks the reader how you would describe your bedroom. Sexy, comforting, nurturing, inspiring, etc.? Well, not so much. I would currently describe my bedroom as messy and cluttered! I am ready to tackle our bedroom using the same organization strategies as I used on the kitchen (which, by the way, is still staying clean--hooray!).

Leeds describes how her parents decorated a bedroom for her when she was a girl, and it was designed to be the type of room her mother had dreamed about when she was young...crystal chandelier, four poster bed, frilly dust ruffle, etc...but Leeds herself didn't like it at all because she never felt it was hers.

The habit of the month for February is simple: to put my clothes away every night before I go to bed. Should be simple, right? In theory...but I think if I create more room in my closet and purchase more hangers, it will be much simpler. Here we go: whee!

One Month Down, Eleven to Go! Kitchen-Check!

2009-02-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

This is my last post about my kitchen...which I finished this weekend, with the help of my wonderful husband.

Friday night we actually watched a movie and I multitasked by cleaning the junk drawer--which I had been putting off! Here's the before:

And the after--yes, we have too much incense (and lighter thingamajigs). But we do use them (although lately our very sensitive 5-year-old complains that the smell makes him sick!).

On Saturday I tackled the refrigerator--which was chockablock with stuff!!

I chucked out quite a bit of stuff, including bunches of takeout condiments (as Regina Leeds recommends), clearing out quite a bit of space. I also reorganized the food into logical groupings and DEEP cleaned all the surfaces.

Finally, I followed Leeds' advice and went for the "bare" look for the front of the fridge. We both have decided that we like it! But we've decided that we'll put one thing on the front, just so it won't be so bare...we will select it carefully--either a child's drawing or a quotation. Doesn't it look much cleaner and neater than before (those of you who have been to our house will remember how cluttered it was before). Let me tell you how long it takes to remove magnetic poetry from a refrigerator: about 20 minutes of painstaking peeling!

While I was working on the fridge, Mike tackled the kitchen nook, which had become a clutter magnet. The nook was one of the things we loved about our house when we moved in, but we really have not kept it very well cared for. I would like to do some further work on the shelves, so they look a bit more artful. But at least for now it's cleaned up. Here are some before photos:

And the after:

It was nice to have a clear space to lay out drying valentines! Now of course we have to clear off the valentines so it looks neat again. A never-ending process...

At last, the corner of the counter was cleaned as well!

That yellow cup by the sink contains a growing toy soldier that my mother-in-law gave Kieran after Christmas. I had hoped to put it away until next Christmas, but Kieran rediscovered it and put it back into water again! I shall try one more time, so I can get it cleared off the counter!

I cleaned under the sink and was able to move our compost container down there and off the counter.

I also tackled the windowsill, which was looking cluttered and messy...washed the windows, dusted the tiles hanging above the sink and the windchimes...and scrubbed down the kitchen cabinets. As I was doing so, it was hard to keep myself from plotting about how to paint the kitchen. I'm planning on doing a Mexican theme--with yellow, red, and blue colors. After I do more organizing!

Now it's onto the bedroom next!

Word to the Wise: Steel-Cut Oats Can Go Rancid

2009-01-31T10:16:00.000-08:00

As you might recall, a few weeks ago I posted about the preponderance of steel-cut oats I discovered in our kitchen cabinet.

This morning I thought that I should use some of these oats, so I made myself some nice oatmeal with the John McCann steel-cut irish oats (the ones that come in a metal can). If you have ever made steel-cut oatmeal, you'll know that it's a much longer process than usual oatmeal. You can't make them in the microwave. You must boil 4 cups of water, add 1 cup of oats, and stir until they start to thicken...and then simmer for 30 minutes.

When I took the oats out, I thought I detected a slightly rancid odor, but I thought it was probably my imagination or the can. I was wrong.

After eating a whole bowl of oatmeal that didn't taste quite right, I googled "steel cut oats rancid," and sure enough, discovered that they can indeed go rancid!!

There was no expiration date on the tin, so who would have known? But obviously, we have had them for a long time--they are such a hassle to make, plus they were buried back behind all the vases and I forgot we even had them!

Most web sites advise keeping steel-cut oats in the refrigerator to prevent this from occurring. Already, we keep our flour in the fridge (to prevent mealy bugs), so I guess this will free up more cabinet space! And yuck--I think I need to go eat something else to get rid of that taste!! They weren't inedible (and I had put pieces of chrystallized ginger and dried apricots in them, so they masked the flavor somewhat), but the knowledge that I ate rancid oatmeal bothers me more than anything!

January: Week Four, "Whip Your Kitchen Into Shape"

2009-01-31T09:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know it's the last day of January. So I'm a tiny bit behind...

I'm not completely done with the kitchen yet, but I expect to be this weekend. This doesn't include the kitchen nook, though--that will have to overflow into the bedroom month.

Author Regina Leeds talks about how to prepare for an organizing project (choose your peak time of day--in my case, there's not much choice--evenings are really the only time I have available for this task).

She advises a second round of speed elimination. I skipped that step because my first speed elimination was fairly thorough...although I'm regularly discarding items as I tackle each section of the kitchen.

Leeds approaches each section or aspect of the kitchen:

Kitchen tools: She advises where to keep them, and suggests that we really don't need multiple can openers, wine bottle openers, nutcrackers, garlic presses, etc. This is generally not an issue for us because I have regularly weeded through our gadgets.

Take-out stuff: She suggests discarding any extra chopsticks, soy sauce, etc. I think I have a few of these in my fridge, and when I clean my fridge today, out they will go! Also, she suggests keeping takeout menus in a binder.

Large equipment: She suggests storing large, seasonal, or rarely used appliances in out-of-the-way areas. As I've previously written, I've already been following this philosophy.

Countertop items: I do not like having a lot of crap on my counters, so the only items we regularly keep there are (1) a tea kettle, and (2) a compost container. When I clean out the cabinet under the sink this weekend, though, I think I'm going to look for a way to move the compost container. The tea kettle is used SEVERAL times a day, so it makes sense to keep on the counter.

Baking gear: I already moved my Christmas cookie cutters (as she advises), and have weeded through my baking equipment.

Food storage containers: This is another area I've stayed fairly well on top of. We don't have tons of Tupperware or other storage containers...and the ones we have, we use regularly. (I often take leftovers in my lunch.)

Paper and plastics: We do buy paper products in bulk, but we keep them in the basement out of the way.

Dishtowels, potholders, and aprons: I weeded out the dishtowels, potholders, and aprons when I cleaned the linen drawer and one of the kitchen cabinets, and consigned the older dishtowels to rags, as Leeds suggests. She also suggests rolling the dishtowels to save room.

The pantry: She suggests organizing the pantry into categories and using shelf dividers.

Pet food: I skipped this section because we don't have any pets.

The refrigerator: She has some suggestions for refrigerator organization, but nothing that I hadn't already thought of.

But here is one thing that made me think: Leeds says that "refrigerator poeple come in two basic types: those who cover theirs with magnets, notices, and photos, and those who like an unadorned refrigerator. I would urge you to either join the latter group or at least pare your items down to a minimum."

Now this is radical notion for a busy family with three kids. Our refrigerator was adorned with magnetic poetry, various types of adult and kid magnets, notes, grocery lists, reminders, kids' drawings, and photos. No longer! This morning I took down all the photos and notes, got rid of a lot of the magnets, and consolidated the remaining items to the sides of the fridge. (Because we live in an old 1938 house, our refrigerator is a stand-alone item and is not surrounded by cabinets.) Finally, I took down all of the magnetic poetry that we've had up for over 15 years. Now that was quite a task! Do you know how long it takes to remove magnetic poetry? I haven't yet cleaned the front of the fridge yet, but when I do it will be very exciting. I really like the cleaner, bare look! Leeds is right that a cluttered fridge "looks messy and feels chaotic."

Shopping lists: Leeds keeps her own shopping lists in three sections, for each store at which she shops. I love the shopping lists on Cozi, because I can create one for Trader Joe's, one for Costco, one for Fred Meyer, and one for New Seasons.

Under the sink: I'm going down under today!! I don't think it's too bad under there, but we shall see!

The junk drawer: Check--I did this last night while Mike and I were watching a movie. I'll post photos later.

The kitchen counter office: Don't have one of those, but we do have a kitchen nook, which attracts a lot of clutter!!!

Leeds ends the chapter by talking about creating new habits and reminding us that she had said at the beginning of the chapter that it takes 21 consecutive days to form a new habit. I do feel that Mike and I are both much more focused on keeping the counters clean and cleared before we go to bed. And each time I open a cleaned cabinet or drawer, I feel such a great sense of satisfaction!!

100 Reasons to Get Rid of It!

2009-01-29T15:29:00.000-08:00

My blogging friend, Jennifer, uncovered this great list of Martha Stewart's, listing 100 reasons to get rid of "it."

It's actually more than reasons--it's also an extensive list of resources for ways to get rid of stuff...some of them I was already aware of, and some of them new to me.

Here are some great statistics, to remind me to continue on my obsessive decluttering odyssey!

1.4 million Americans suffer from chronic hoarding & clutter. I believe it.
People burn 55 minutes a day looking for things. WOW!! 55 minutes a day???
80 percent of what we own we never use. I know we do!
Getting rid of clutter will reduce housework by 40 percent. That would be nice!

Is this feasible?

Search for phone numbers online instead of storing bulky Yellow and White Pages volumes.

I would dearly love to get rid of the bulky phone books, but I don't completely have confidence in my ability to find everything I need online...

On the other hand, out with the phone books!! We wouldn't want to end up like these people:

Miss Havisham in Great Expectations
Big Edie and Little Edie Bouvier Beale in "Grey Gardens"
Oscar Madison in "The Odd Couple"
The family in the documentary "Packrat" (packratthemovie.com)
The Bronx, New York, man who, in 2003, was trapped in his home under an avalanche of books and newspapers for two days before being rescued...

And finally, here is some inspiration--you know, I do love quotations!

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." -William Morris

"You've got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative." -Johnny Mercer

"The joy of giving is indeed a pleasure, especially when you get rid of something you don't want." -Frank Butler and Frank Cavett, "Going My Way"

Top of Refrigerator, Check!

2009-01-29T14:22:00.001-08:00

I didn't get as much done last night as I had planned, because of the TRUE TIME WASTER that is Facebook! Mike had been out at a meeting, and by the time he arrived home after 10:00, he saw the kitchen dishes still not in the dishwasher, and he said "Poor you!" because he thought the kids had kept me going for so long, I hadn't gotten around to my cleaning and organizing!

Can't blame it on the kids. I had them in bed in record time. The younger ones by 8:30, and the older one by 9:00. It was that nasty computer calling me to be unproductive and find out every possible inane detail about my friends that I might want to know. Does it help me to be more organized, or to be a better person? NO!

At any rate, after loading the dishwasher and CLEANING MY COUNTERS! (Mike was doing the laundry downstairs), I did have time to strike one more task off my kitchen list: the top of the refrigerator.

Can you say: "DUST"???

Ugh.

Here's what it looked like precleaning:

With all the various vitamins, calcium supplements, medication, pills, and potions for five members of the family, we had ended up with quite a clutter. The last time I cleaned the top of the fridge, I decluttered through this collection and put what was left in a plastic tub. Clearly we had outgrown it. I also discovered other various items that could be put elsewhere.

Here is my result, after reorganizing and scouring the top of the fridge to get rid of all the dust!

Maybe someday I can figure out a way to have a completely clean top-of-the fridge, but right now it's a pretty safe and convenient place to keep medications out of the reach of little hands, and it's accessible for bedtimes.

I'm running out of January, and I still have some items to do left on my kitchen list--the junk drawer, utensil drawers (which aren't in too bad of shape), and the inside of the fridge. The kitchen nook will have to overflow into February, I'm afraid...

Tackling the Freezer Compartment

2009-01-28T16:00:00.001-08:00

One memory I have of my upbringing is that my family always had a completely crammed-to-the-gills freezer in the garage. At times, it even had a bungee cord tied to the front to keep it closed! (Okay, Mom and Dad, enough skeletons out of our closet--I mean freezer!) My parents have always been very thrifty, and they have always been on the lookout for bargain prices to stock up on essentials. Hence, the full freezer.

Last fall Mike and I cleaned out our upright freezer in the basement...no fun task! But the freezer in the kitchen hadn't been cleaned for quite awhile. It was difficult to find anything without rooting around in it for awhile.

Cleaning out refrigerators and freezers is not one of my favorite kitchen tasks! But I sure do like the results!

Here is the "before":

You can see what I mean...that everything is crammed in there!

When I started excavating, I found several bags worth of spelt flour, and three packages of puff pastry sheets that expired a few years ago!! Out they went.

Amazingly, I found only one banana! (I like to freeze bananas so I have them for baking.)

I threw out a bunch of old bread and rolls, but mostly it was a reorganization effort.

Fruit in one area, cheese in another, meat and fish in another, flours on the bottom shelf (the spelt flour consolidated in two plastic containers!), and vegetables in another corner.

Ice, nuts, herbs, ricotta, and tomato paste on the door.

The freezer is still fullish, but at least we will know where everything is!

Coffee, Tea, or Me?

2009-01-28T15:39:00.000-08:00

Seriously, at the rate we purchase tea, that could be the question...

I tackled our tea/coffee/cereal/snack cupboard the other night...the one that always seems to be a complete jumble a few weeks after I organize it.

Yes, Sandra, I know we still have too many vases. I do like to have a lot for the lilacs in the spring though. At any rate, I moved them all to the basement storage because we do not use them on a regular basis (according to my new rule...).

Yes, we have a lot of cereal, too, but my children are cereal fanatics. We seem to have a preponderance of steel-cut oatmeal, too--must eat oatmeal!

Half of one shelf is completely crammed with multiple varieties of tea! Mike's been buying a lot more varieties recently, too, because he's on a new herbal remedy kick to calm his stomach down after the holidays. He does drink a lot of tea...but we seem to have a never-ending supply. I believe we have both committed to not buying any more tea for awhile!!

These before and after photos are not very shocking, but what you can't see is my organization of the cabinet.

All snacks are on the top shelf. The middle shelf contains coffee and cereal. (I thought about moving the cereals down lower so that the kids could help themselves, but Mike said he'd prefer to keep them out of reach so they don't pig out on cereal!)

And the bottom shelf contains mugs, tea paraphernalia, knives, cocoa, and TEA!!!

Perhaps I'll take another photo in 6 months, in the hopes that we will have less tea then! How many varieties of tea can one couple need? :)

A Place for the Teapots!

2009-01-26T10:58:00.001-08:00

I took a bit of an organizing break over the weekend--I had a good friend visit on Friday night, and then we went to a party on Saturday and a marathon play on Sunday afternoon--but last night I spent about 45 minutes organizing one of my cupboards...and cleaning it.

My evening of tearing through the kitchen, discarding as much as I could in one fell swoop, resulted in a few empty spaces in my cupboards. (Especially when I got rid of all those silly vases!!) Last night I reorganized my main dish cabinet, and actually washed the darn shelves!! I am embarassed to admit that we've been living in our house for nearly 10 years now and we have never wiped down the shelves (to my knowledge). It continues to be a challenge to keep myself focused on organizing and stop myself from fantasizing about what color I would like to paint the cupboards and the walls!!

At any rate, some organization and a few more discarding resulted in a cabinet that looked like this:

Look at all that empty space!! Most of the stuff is on the bottom shelf, because I am very short (5 feet), and the cabinet goes all the way to the ceiling!! I need a chair to get to anything in the back of the middle shelf or on the top shelf.

I was trying to think of what to put in my free space, when I had a bright idea: how about our teapots, which we are always trying to cram into other spaces? We typically keep our coffee maker downstairs because we use it only when we have guests...but I found a home for it on the top shelf...and moved the teapots and french press to the middle shelf. And I still have space! From the perspective of someone who grew up with crammed refrigerators, freezers, and cabinets in my family of origin, and who has continued with that tradition in my own family, I am loving the idea of empty space!! :)

Tonight, I tackle the tea/coffee/cereal/snack cabinet, probably the most crammed one in the house! (And where we typically try to fit the teapots into.) I still have quite a few vases in the kitchen, as you can see...might move those downstairs to the basement.

It would also be nice to move the cold cereal to a lower cabinet so the kids could help themselves. Our oldest son, Chris, is a cereal FANATIC!! He must go through four or five bowls a day.

And Jennifer, over at The Year of Living Obsessively, has inspired me with her clean junk drawer. Must tackle that junk drawer...I've been putting that off!! And I have only six days left of kitchen organizing...or my husband will be very disappointed in me! Such a slave driver he is...

All the Right Tools to Hand

2009-01-22T10:43:00.001-08:00

Part of what I've been focusing on in my kitchen organizing is moving the items we do not use regularly farther away from the kitchen. Our house is a 1938 Cape Cod, and we are blessed to have a good amount of storage space (especially compared to my sister's much-fancier and larger 80s-era "Street of Dreams" home). The basement is a major blessing! We have a utility room downstairs, where the washer and dryer and overflow kitchen items are stored, and we also have a storage room we call "Chai's room." (Chai was our cat, who died 4 years ago, and she used to stay in that room overnight so she wouldn't rip the house to shreds.)

So last night I focused on one of our lower kitchen cabinets that contains pots and pans, plastic storage containers, bowls, measuring cups, etc., in addition to starting on our hall closet cupboard (which contains cookbooks, rice cooker, baking pans, etc.). We have been using our slow cooker constantly, so instead of putting it away down in the basement (its former home), with all of my decluttering, I was able to make room for it in the kitchen cabinet, along with the frying pans, which we use daily for quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches, and sauteeing. The soup stockpot and some other items got moved to the hallway cupboard.

I also went through our massive collection of dish and tea towels and relegated about many of the stained ones to the cleaning closet to be used for rags.

I also identified some duplicate (and older) pans and bowls to send to Goodwill, and moved some of the baking items down to the basement. (Because how often do we bake? Once a month, if that!)

It's going to take us a bit of time to get used to the new places for everything, but I'm convinced it will be nice to have all the right tools closer to hand!

I have only 10 days left of my kitchen (and kitchen nook) focus, and have still much yet to accomplish!! (Because you know my husband will be very disappointed in me if I'm still working on the kitchen in February and fall behind in the book!!)

Now that I'm getting my kitchen in better shape, I want to paint and redo the flooring...but no time, because I will be on to the bedroom next! I can't get distracted yet in redecorating before I feel more organized.

Clean Counters!

2009-01-20T22:35:00.000-08:00

Some of you will recall one of the resolutions I made earlier in the month: to clean my counters every night. (Actually, I said after every meal, but that is a bit unrealistic given our lifestyle.)

Well, I can't say that I've been entirely successful with that resolution, but I do believe that I've made an improvement. It's amazing how much CRAP finds its way to our kitchen counters!!! Usually little game pieces, paintbrushes, felt pens, coins, or other such things. Not to mention food items.

Last night I was going to continue reorganizing my cupboards but decided to really clean the counters and sink instead...so that's what I did, save for the little corner of one counter where a bunch of junk has collected. (That will be tackled next. Tonight has been wasted with perusing inauguration coverage and blogging...)

It's such a lovely feeling to have clean counters!! And tonight, when we go to bed, they will be clean again. Yippee!!

Before the end of the month, I plan to also tackle that windowsill collection of junk and bric-a-brac!

And the forementioned corner of junk...

But not much got done today--was too excited to clean and organize!! :) Oh happy day!!!

Week Three: Kitchen Questions

2009-01-18T21:16:00.000-08:00

1. What do you like about your kitchen?

When we moved into this house, I liked the white cupboards (as opposed to the oak cabinets we had in our old house); the newness of it all (new linoleum and formica counters; new paint on the walls and the cabinets); the plentiful storage space; and most of all, the lovely kitchen nook.

Eight and a half years later, nothing is new any more. The counters are still in reasonably good shape, but the white cabinets and walls are looking very shabby! They really need a nice paint job. The kitchen could also benefit from new flooring. I loved the white linoleum and cabinets when we moved on, but I soon discovered how difficult it was to keep clean...especially with three children. Still love the kitchen nook, but we don't really take advantage of the space like we could. We still have nice storage space, but we could improve on the way we use it.

Since we moved in, we installed a small dishwasher (well, okay, my dad installed it with a bit of help from Mike)...and I very much like that!

2. What do you dislike?

See above. The kitchen could use some updating. I don't like how grubby fingers sully the white kitchen cabinets and the appliances. If it were up to me, everyone in the house would wash HIS hands before touching the cabinets or the fridge! :) I dislike the cluttered, haphazard way we've displayed items on the built-in shelves in the kitchen nook. I would like the whole kitchen to be more organized...a goal toward which I've been making some progress.

My dad has often encouraged us to build out our kitchen, and it would be nice to have more space...but I don't want to give up our nook. The reality is that of all the possible home improvement projects we could invest in, that's at the bottom of our list.

3. Do you have things from past generations that don't serve you other than giving you a sense of familial devotion?

Not really.

4. Are you eating off chipped plates and drinking glasses?

There might be a few dishes with chips in them, but for the most part we've made small investments in aesthetically pleasing plates and glasses.

5. Do you like the color of your walls?

See above. White is fine, but it attracts dirt. My fantasy is to have a Mexican kitchen, with lots of contrasting, bold colors.

6. Is the lighting adequate?

It's adequate, yes, but it would be nice to replace the flourescent light fixtures in our kitchen, if we do remodel one of these days.

7. Do you have space for furniture in your kitchen?

The only "furniture" we have in the kitchen is the microwave cart and the kitchen nook table and chairs. Someday it would be nice to have a custom-made island for the kitchen nook with additional storage and table space...but it might detract from the period quality of the nook, so I'm not sure.

8. How much time every day is spent looking for things?

Less and less time, the more I organize the kitchen! I've definitely been noticing a difference already in this area, and I'm looking forward to it spreading to the other areas of my house (where we are still spending time looking for things!!).

9. Do you have counter space to prep meals or has that space been usurped by stuff?

We have counter space, but some of it has been usurped by stuff. We've been doing a better job of clearing off our counters this month, but we're far from perfection!

10. Do you cook every day or just on special occasions?

We cook nearly every day, and we make an effort to eat together every evening. My husband usually cooks during the week, and I cook on the weekends.

11. Do you ever bake?

Yes; every few weeks. Mostly for special occasions (like birthdays).

12. Are the items in your kitchen the right size for your family?

Yes.

My only other wish for my kitchen is that I were taller...because we have some very high cabinets that are difficult for me to reach, making them a bit impractical.

There are a few remaining areas in my kitchen (under the sink, the junk drawer, the refrigerator [inside and the top], finishing the cabinets) that need work, but I'm already seeing a lot of progress. My plan this week is to try to plow through as many remaining areas as I can, and next week focus on any final spots and work on the kitchen nook.

Week 3: Kitchen Questions

2009-01-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

I haven't yet read this chapter yet, but last night my fingers were itchy to do some more organizing. (Plus Mike has been dropping hints that I have to get back on my program.) He had meetings three nights this week, plus his mother just left on Wednesday, so I have let up somewhat. But back to the program!

Chapter 3 starts by asking lots of questions about how the kitchen is set up and whether it serves my purpose. I will get to those later. But in the meantime, I scanned through the chapter last night for a task I could tackle in the kitchen, and saw the suggestion to take a minimum of 15 minutes to "literally tear through your kitchen...identifying items that you can eliminate quickly." That sounded like just the kind of quick activity I needed to get back in gear!

I announced my intention to Mike, and again recognized how different we are in these types of activities. He declared that the would not want to approach things way and would much rather tackle each drawer or cabinet methodically, one at a time. That is the plan, eventually (Leeds later talks about going back through each area and revisiting it), but I think it's nice to mix things up a little. My most gratifying part of organizing is decluttering, and this was a fun way to do it. I've been meaning to tackle these top shelves of our two kitchen cabinets for some time, beyond other spots:

That's right, we had a shelf and a half of valuable kitchen cabinet space (granted, it is very high and I have to practically stand on the counter to reach anything)...taken up with vases!! Very impractical. How often does one use a vase? AND HOW MANY VASES DOES ONE HOUSEHOLD NEED? We even have more vases out in the garage!! So out went most of the vases...plus various items from the lower cabinets and other drawers and cabinets I haven't gotten to yet. Including a huge package of Japanese green tea I bought in Hawaii 5 years ago, which is most likely incredibly stale and tasteless by now! And breast milk storage bags I haven't used in well over a year. And a once-beautiful glass salad bowl we got for a wedding present that had a chip in it, so we never used it any more.

Out went a lot of tall water cups and bottles that never get used (not very practical), various straws and bowls, tupperware lids without bottoms, and wonder of wonders, Mike even tackled his egg cup collection and got rid of a bunch of them! (Even though he disagreed with this process...) Our kitchen cabinets have all sorts of space now and are ready for me to reorganize next week.

The result of last night's binge was a box and a garbage bag full of vases, cups, and other stuff to go to Goodwill (and that doesn't include items that went in the trash). Took me about an hour, while talking on the phone to my sister part of the time and watching "Brothers and Sisters" online on my laptop (on the kitchen counter).

Anyone want to start a flower shop?

January: Week 2, Creating schedules and Routines

2009-01-15T15:19:00.000-08:00

Technically, I've started Week 3 but I haven't read the chapter yet!

I had a couple of tasks left to do before I moved on...identifying time traps in our home and creating a way to engage the children in helping me.

Time Traps

I think I've successfully narrowed down my list of time traps, and it's one item: SURFING THE INTERNET! A key one is a little site called Facebook. Yes, it's fun to find old friends and acquaintances, but on the other hand, do I really need to know what everyone is doing every single second of the day? (Actually, that's not possible because my company very wisely blocks Facebook on our networks...) I do enjoy seeing photos people post...but it is definitely a time waster. It's pretty likely that if I feel that I've wasted an evening, I've been on the computer.

Our television is downstairs in our family room, so I'm not typically drawn to that (out of sight, out of mind)...if it were nearer to hand, I might be on Rock Band 2 all evening! I don't consider that to be a big time waster for me, because when I am playing Rock Band, I'm usually hanging out with Chris and we're doing it together.

Engaging the Kiddos

To illustrate the ineffectiveness of getting my children regularly involved in the cleaning of our house, I will tell you an anecdote from this week. My mother-in-law left last night after visiting for a month. Chris was bereft at the thought of her leaving. Kieran's response? "Does this mean we can trash the family room now???" Yes, I kid you not.

I've created some chore and behavior charts for Chris and Kieran--I found some templates on the web that attach points to each task. I think this will be a more successful approach with my kids, because they will be able to earn points to cash in for special treats or money.

I know that some people feel you shouldn't compensate kids for chores (or behaviors for that matter), but I say HOGWASH to that! It's all a part of learning about earning a living. We really don't expect our children to do a lot of chores (probably because we're both oldest children and think we can do things best), but we need to expect more.

I have "keep room clean" on there...however, I wouldn't describe their rooms as clean to start with, so they won't be able to earn points until we have a good base from which to start!

I am also planning to develop a reward chart to go with the point system. We've implemented these types of programs in the past, but with tickets.

About 6 months ago, my dear husband began putting the timer on for 10 minutes after dinner, and everyone in the family is supposed to clean until the timer goes off. What usually happens is that Kieran and Nick wander around, not sure what to do unless specifically instructed, and Chris, Mike, and I do most of the picking up...but Chris also often watches the timer and announces how much time is left (which is very annoying!). The idea is that everyone gets ice cream or dessert on Saturday night if they help. We haven't been entirely consistent in implementing this technique, and in the past month, since my mother-in-law has been visiting, the whole idea has completely lost its teeth...since she offers them sweet things every day!!!

Discovered: a Fellow Aspiring Organizer!

2009-01-13T15:56:00.001-08:00

This new humble blog of mine has attracted two interesting developments:

1. The author of the book I'm using, Regina Leeds, the "Zen Organizer," found my blog and commented here. Very exciting!

2. Today I received a comment from another aspiring organizer, mom of three, and grad student, Jennifer. She is also using the book and blogs about her progress at The Year of Living Obsessively (love the title), Broken Bananas, and Global Mother. Even better: she's an Obama supporter living in Arizona! :) I'm very happy to have a partner in crime, and am hoping we can cheer each other on in our efforts to get ourselves and our families better organized.

Still thinking about a plan to get my kids engaged in (strike that: bribe them to help with) my organizing adventures. That post will be next!

January, Week 2: Creating Schedules and Routines

2009-01-09T22:39:00.001-08:00

Week 2 focuses on the importance of creating regular schedules and organizing your life with a calendar.

I just blogged about a great tool I recently discovered to track our family appointments...important in a family of five! It's a free program called Cozi. We have started using it to attempt to help us organize our time better and to make sure that no appointments fall through the cracks on either of our calendars.

Regina Leeds advises readers to "invest in a good calendar." In our case, we have a plethora of calendars! I track my work (and some personal) appointments on Microsoft Outlook--which synchronizes with my Blackberry; we have a calendar by our telephone and a few more calendars throughout the house; and now we have Cozi. Mike is a fan of calendars; in his eyes, the more the better! I just hope that we don't have too many now! Cozi should tie all our paper calendars (and Outlook) together, if we use it effectively.

Leeds recognizes that readers think like organizers and do not agree to commit to anything until we have consulted our calendars (and our partners, if applicable). She also talks about the importance of creating regular routines and identifying ways to save yourself time in your life. For example, setting the breakfast table the night before, or setting out your clothes before you go to bed.

She recommends that we make a list of the most common time traps in our home, and then create a routine that will eliminate this opportunity to waste time. She mentions her own tendency to want to get distracted by less-important tasks (for example, rearranging her furniture) when she is facing a deadline. I can definitely identify with this tendency, and sometimes I wonder if I have attention-deficit disorder! I will meet deadlines, but I often wait until the deadline is facing me in the face...and my product would have been much better if I had been more methodical and allowed myself to revise along the way.

This is why I've decided to tackle this organization project in a more methodical way. I need a structured routine to get myself to stick with it. And starting a blog to document my progress is one sure way to get myself to follow through!

The last activity for this week is to "get the kids on board." I've been thinking about how to do that...and I will blog more about that next time. I know Mike is anxious to see what I come up with! And onto more kitchen cabinets!!

Last Night, the Drawer Under the Stove and an Appliance Drawer!

2009-01-08T15:31:00.001-08:00

As I was on my hands and knees, scrubbing the gunk from underneath the stove last night, I said to my mother-in-law (who was observing from the next room), "This is what people pay housecleaners to do!!!" However, (1) after reading Nickel and Dimed, I can't bear to hire a housecleaner, (2) I'm too cheap to pay for one!, (3) most people I know who do hire housecleaners are not very happy with them, and I've heard a number of horror stories!, and (4) I would not have the wonderful sense of satisfaction that comes from cleaning, if I had someone do it for me!

But. Those types of tasks need to be done more often.

As does cleaning out my drawers regularly. Last night I tackled a drawer that contained the blender, coffee grinder, food scale, cheese graters, tons of cookie cutters, and various sundry appliances and gadgets. Many items went in my Goodwill bag, and others into the garbage. The many cookie cutters will get sorted through and moved downstairs to basement storage, since we use them only once or twice a year.

I do believe that this drawer might never have been cleaned out and scoured since we moved into the house 9 years ago!!! Oh my! Talk about skeletons in my closet!

The best part of last night's activities? I found the toast soldier cutting device Mike's mum had given us a few years ago...and Mike had been looking for it! ("Perfect Soldiers")

Never heard of toast soldiers? Read here and here.

Personally, I HATE runny eggs. So I never use it. I like my eggs poached, scrambled with salsa, in an omelet or frittata, or in egg salad or deviled eggs. And only when I'm in the proper mood.

Microwave Cabinet--Check!

2009-01-07T12:27:00.000-08:00

Regina Leeds lays out January in four weeks: the first two focus on thinking and journaling about time management, scheduling, and list making, and the last two focus on the kitchen. However, I've decided to adapt that plan a bit and work on the kitchen all month long (in addition to pondering my time management habits). Otherwise, I'm afraid I would be cram-organizing during the last two weeks.

My husband has informed me that he would never do it this way. He is a rule follower. I am a rule "adaptor." I will follow rules when they are important, but following the book to a tee does not seem very important to me. The most important thing is for me to organize my space and my life, and the book is simply a helpful means to an end.

Besides, I made a list of all of the cabinets and other areas of the kitchen (and nook) that I plan to organize (and clean), and it is going to take me all month!

Last night I tackled the microwave cabinet...which is where we keep potatoes, lunch bags, large bottles of oil, the popcorn popper and popcorn, a big bag of dried Shiitake mushrooms, and Clif bars, among other things. I cannot remember the last time it was cleaned out! I also cleaned the microwave and toaster oven (which sits on top) and dusted and vacuumed behind and under the cabinet and the stove. I'm surprised I didn't have an allergy attack last night...the dust!!!

Most exhilarating is the task of crossing off one of the items on my list after I am through!!!

January, Week 1: Where Does the Time Go?

2009-01-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

Continuing on the topic of time management, author Regina Leeds asks me to look at my life and what takes up my time. Here is my list, in no particular order:

Work
Spending time with my family
Spending time with my friends
Blogging
Reading
Organizing my life (!)
Spiritual pursuits (church, attending events, self-help books)
Errands and shopping
Eating
Sleeping
Surfing the internet
Watching TV or videos

Leeds asks the following questions:

What is on my list that isn't on hers (answer: organizing, blogging, reading, being creative, eating, sleeping, surfing internet, watching TV or videos)

Would I like to add some things to my life? (answer: more frequent dates with Mike and one-on-one time with each child, more time being creative, more time entertaining friends, more exercise and time spent outside)

Would I like to eliminate some things? (answer: I think it would be beneficial for me to limit myself to a certain amount of daily time on the internet or TV [like screen time for the kids], because both can be huge time wasters!)

The next step is to mark next to each item how much time it gets during an average week. I had to do it in Excel to get the times to add up, and I kept getting more total hours than exist in a week! Something's not right. Obviously, some of these items can be done at the same time (for example, eating and spending time with family), so it's hard to get the numbers to line up exactly the way I want them to.

Work and commuting--29%
Spending time with my family--12%
Spending time with my friends--1%
Blogging--2%
Reading--5%
Cleaning and organizing my life (!)--6%
Spiritual pursuits (church, attending events, self-help books)--2%
Errands and shopping--1%
Eating--3%
Sleeping--32%
Surfing the internet--2%
Watching TV or videos--2%

And finally, the last task is to rewrite the percentages with the amounts of time I would LIKE to spend on each task. Ideally, I would work only 20 hours per week, but we all know that's not very realistic...so I'll stick to my current percentage for that. I actually do not work tons of overtime in my job, so that's not something I would cut back on. Here are my revised percentages, with a couple of new lines:

Work and commuting-29%
Spending quality time with my family--12%
Spending time with my friends--2%
Blogging--2%
Reading--4%
Cleaning--or Organizing my life (!)--6%
Spiritual pursuits (church, attending events, self-help books)--2%
Errands and shopping--1%
Eating--4%
Sleeping--33%
Surfing the internet--0
Watching TV or videos--1%
Exercise--3% (NEW--since I've lapsed in my gym habits in recent months)
Creative pursuits--crafts, making music, etc.--1% (NEW)

That was a tough exercise! (again done in Excel first) In order to come up with some time for exercise, creative pursuits, and spending an hour more a week with friends, I have to cut out any internet surfing and cut back my TV watching to 2 hours a week. I could cut back more on reading (only shaved an hour off), but that's one of my spiritual pursuits! I suspect I do spend more time on reading than I've estimated here, but much of that reading is done while I'm trying to get Nicholas to sleep (which I suppose I could categorize as spending time with family), or while I'm working on my hair in the morning, etc. Maybe I should cut back on my sleeping! :)

Mike Is Getting into the Act!

2009-01-03T18:47:00.001-08:00

I declared my intention to organize our jumbled kitchen pantry a few days ago. It was designed to be a broom closet, but we have another one of those in the hallway, so we use it for phone books, the food processor, cutting boards, reusable bags, garbage bags, and ziploc bags. We also use it as a repository for library books that need to be returned (by putting them in one of the bags).

It has a receptacle for saran wrap, etc., but the bottom fell out awhile ago and we have not yet fixed it. We rigged a temporary repair by putting a bag inside of it, but it didn't look very nice. It's very hard to find the cutting boards or correct size of ziploc bag because they are buried under all the reuseable bags.

I took Kieran on a "date" this afternoon, and while I was gone, Mike installed some shelves in the closet (which we had owned for several years; they were away in storage) and did some reorganizing of his own! I plan to continue reorganizing the closet--I want to move the phone books (which we use only once a month) and continue refining the organization...but this is a vast improvement. The bags have not returned to their proper space, but I plan to do some sorting and purging first. Mike very proudly showed his handiwork when I walked in the door.

We also plan to repair the saran wrap receptacle to create more useable space. Small thrills for small minds! :)

Organizing the Kid Dish Drawer

2009-01-03T18:34:00.001-08:00

My intention is to take "before" and "after" photos of my organizing projects, but I must get into that habit. (Mike is horrified at the thought that I will be posting our messy habits online...but I figure it will be a satisfying exercise...maybe we DO have skeletons in our closet, our house!!) I forgot to take a before photo this time, so I took a "during" instead!

Anyone who has or has had children knows how easily one can accumulate kid cups, plates, etc., especially when so many restaurants give plastic cups with kid meals. We have designated a lower drawer for our kid plates and cups, so that the kids can retrieve them on their own. The drawer has not been cleaned out for over a year! (or two or three?) It was a jumble of junk.

After fishing everything out of the drawer, this was what was left--pens, cheerios, paper, soy sauce, Christmas tree ornaments, game pieces, feathers, magnets, and pieces of junk:

Here are all the lids I threw away (can't be recycled, alas)--most of them did not have matching cups to go with them!

Here are some of the cups and plates lined up (after many of them had been thrown away!).

And here, at last, is the organized drawer--much easier to find things!

My intention is to organize my house and life without spending tons of extra money. Therefore, our house will not look like House Beautiful or an IKEA catalog. We will invest in organizing systems when we need to, but I'm hoping to make a lot of progress simply by getting rid of stuff, so it's easier to organize what we have.