Posted on July 19, 2008
As organized as I like to think I am, I have a couple of soft spots: books and toys. Chloe is starting to outgrow her play room again, and it is time to do the purge.
A majority of the toys will be set aside and stored up in the attic for baby #2 (with the assumption there will be a baby #2.) Some toys we will just get rid of. Either they are missing too many parts to really make them useful to anyone, or they’re broken. It always surprises me when things go missing. I am militant about cleaning up every day and checking to make sure all the toys are complete. And yet, little elves or sprites (or cats) seem to be spiriting away some of her toys. I am not surprised when toys get broken. I am trying to teach Chloe to respect her possessions and not damage her things, but she’s still a child. And let’s face it, some of these toys aren’t made very well.
I know what I should do. The issue is execution. I am having a difficult time deciding what to keep, what to store, and what to get rid of. Ellen is going to laugh at this post because a little over a year ago I was having the same conversation with her regarding her kids’ toys. I remember thinking, “How hard can it be?” Well, I apologize for underestimating the difficulty factor when it comes to weeding out your child’s most cherished possessions. It’s hard because not only does your child have an emotional attachment to these items, but so do you. I remember every present, care package from grandparents, and shopping trip.
Not to mention the fact that I will pull the toy out of her play room and set it aside with the idea that it will be on the chopping block. Of course, Chloe will find renewed interest in it and spend a good half an hour playing with it. Then I feel like I can’t get rid of it. “See,” I say to John, “she still plays with it.” He responds, “Do you actually think she’ll notice when it’s gone?” And the answer is, “Of course not.” She has numerous other things to distract her. But for some reason It’s still hard.
However, there is something to be said for the excess (Okay, I admit it, now shut up.) Chloe really does have an excessive amount of toys. She has a pretty large bedroom that is full, and a decent size playroom which is also full. (I would give you room dimensions, but that’s way too much effort.) And, I confess, I keep buying more. I’ll realize she has a hole in a “category” of toy. For example, she loves to play with John’s tools, but she didn’t have her own tool box. So, I bought her one of those Melissa and Doug tool boxes that will help improve her fine motor skills and eye hand coordination. Does she need it, no. Will it help her, YES! (I just can’t turn off that damn “teacher” button!)
I am a FIRM believer in the “one in one out rule,” when it comes to ME. I just can’t commit to that when it comes to Chloe. That being said, I am mustering up my courage (there is nothing like the rath of a two year old who is missing a toy) and about to begin the purging process. I am fully anticipating this it going to take me several hours, which is why I am blogging. Procrastination is yet another weakness.
Posted on June 23, 2008
Chloe and I leave tomorrow for Denver again. This time we are flying out to go to our friends, Lance and Midori’s wedding. With all this traveling, I feel like I am getting pretty good at packing and I thought I would share my tips. (Okay, so I am actually procrastinating doing the actual packing, but its still might be useful!)
- Make a packing list beforehand with everything that you could possibly need on it. Print out two copies, that way you can mark all over it on the way out of town, and then use it to make sure that everything comes home with you.
- Pack clothes in outfits. This avoids extra clothes.
- If you travel frequently, invest in clothes folders and cubes. It helps organize items, helps reduce wrinkling and are generally pretty compact.
- Keep in mind any activities that you plan on doing while you are there. For example, even if there is a chance you will go swimming, pack a swimsuit. If you might go out to a fancy restaurant, pack a nice outfit. Its much easier than scrambling and paying more money than you normally would to get something at your destination.
- Pack socks inside shoes, it helps them keep their shape and saves the bulk from the socks. pack underwear and other smaller items in the lining of your suitcase for the same reason, it helps cut down on bulk, and it doesn’t matter if those items are wrinkled.
- Even though it is a pain to get through security, I recommend wearing bulkier shoes on the flight and packing lightweight ones. Yes, it takes longer to untie and retie your shoes, but they take up a tremendous about of space in your suitcase.
- Keep samples and smaller bottles of your toiletries in your toiletries bag, it helps save time later, and the smaller bottles are much more compact.
- If you are traveling with a child (or even if it is just you) pack snacks for the flight. You never know these days if you will get food on the plane, and even if it is a short flight, there is always the chance that you will be delayed and will end up spending more time on the plane than you planned.
- If you are traveling with a child, bring toys, books, an extra sippy cup or water bottle, and a video ipod. The Ipod is vital, but you need the other items for when they won’t let you use the ipod. Chloe hates when I take the ipod away, but she is getting used to the idea that there are times when she can’t have it.
- Finally, when going through security, keep track of you driver’s license. Take the extra time to put it back in your wallet. Trust me on this one!
Posted on June 10, 2008
I ran outside to get our mail and LOCKED MYSELF OUT OF THE HOUSE! Luckily, Chloe was napping, so she was blissfully unaware that I was outside kicking and yelling at the door to let me in! Of course, all the other doors and windows in our house were also locked, I was barefoot, and I didn’t have my phone. Thank goodness my neighbor was home and we had given Ellen a key so she could check on our cats when we are out of town. So, my neighbor drove me over to Ellen’s I got her key, and then my neighbor drove me back home.
So, what did I learn from this experience:
1) double check to make sure the door is unlocked before shutting it. We never lock the handle on our door, only the deadbolt. I suspect that one of the kids, either mine or someone else’s, locked the handle when we weren’t watching.
2) Have some sort of code with your significant other so if they get a phone call from a strange number, they answer. I called John from my neighbor’s house to get Ellen’s phone number and she could bring me a key. Of course, John didn’t answer because he didn’t recognize the number.
3) GET A HIDE-A-KEY. You would think with the number of times I lock myself out of my car and my house this would have already happened, of course it hasn’t.
4) I am also thinking of stashing a pair of shoes in our garage so, if I get locked out barefooted, I have another option.
Any other suggestions for this particular issue? I am open and willing to save myself from having this particular panic attack EVER AGAIN!
Posted on April 15, 2008
Coupons are an organizational nightmare. I used to work with a lady that would save hundreds of dollars every month clipping coupons and she had an elaborate file system. You know the one I am talking about: the accordion file you keep in your purse, separating your coupons out by subject such as desserts, cleaning products, etc. I tried this system, and I discovered that it became time consuming and cumbersome. Not to mention that a majority of coupons I saw in the paper were for things I had absolutely no interest in. I made the decision that clipping coupons was not worth the energy, and the money I saved did not pay for my time.
However, I do believe that coupons are a useful way to save a few extra dollars, so I only keep the coupons I get in the mail that I know I might use. The big ones are: Bed bath and beyond and coupons for oil changes or car service. I will occasionally keep coupons for restaurants, especially if they are attached to a menu. I have a slot in my desk for these coupons, and once a month I go through and discard any that are out of date. I wouldn’t say I save a whole lot of money this way, but I do save a lot of time.
Posted on April 5, 2008
(I am stealing this concept from another blog I read called Notes from the Trenches)
When choosing to make a new dish out of a recipe book that I know is more complicated than I am used to, I should:
1) Check to make sure I have ALL of the ingredients before I go to the grocery store, not just the veggies (missing sherry, because really, who keeps that around?)
2) Make sure that I have alternative ingredients for anything I have never heard of, because chances are I won’t be able to find those ingredients at the grocery store. (flageolot beans?)
3) Before beginning prep, read the recipe and figure out exactly how long it is going to take to cook, and then work backward. (For this particular dish, there was at least 1/2 hour of prep time, and 1 1/2 hours of cooking. I started cutting potatoes at 4:30 expecting a 5:30 dinner time, obviously didn’t make it.)
4) Before beginning prep, look up any cooking terms I am unfamiliar with. (Blanching and parboil?)
5) When planning a meal with a large amount of prep and cooking, find someone, anyone, to entertain the child. (Its hard to slice potatoes with a screaming toddler at your feet.)
6) Gather all ingredients and have everything measured out and ready to be put into the pot before I even turn on the stove. (Left a pot simmering for a few extra minutes to drain and rinse beans.)
7) Make sure you have all the pots and utensils necessary before cooking, and that they’re not in a running dish washer (yes…I ran the dishwasher right before I started cooking. Brilliant, party for one!)
Check to see how many people the dish feeds so you aren’t cooking something that feeds 8 when there are only 2 of you eating it. (We’ll offer it to Chloe, but I doubt she will eat it.)
9) Before putting the filling into a casserole dish, double check that everything, including the spices, are included, so you don’t have to dump it back out, add spices, and then dump it back in. (Luckily, I caught my mistake after only a couple of spoonfuls had been put in the casserole dish.)
10) Ignore husband when he whines about being hungry, it only stresses me out and makes me forget to do stuff, like add spices.
Posted on April 2, 2008
Everyone has their own system for doing the laundry. Some are highly effective and some just add to the sense of clutter. I am the first to admit that I don’t use my highly effective system all of the time, but when I do I find that laundry really doesn’t seem that much of a chore. Also, keep in mind that I am only doing laundry for 3, so my system may not work for people doing laundry for more.
With that disclaimer-here is my highly effective laundry system:
1) Have a laundry sorter in your bedroom so you can separate your clothes into darks, mediums, and whites as you take your clothes off instead of taking additional time sorting. This works so well for us, that I even bought another separate hamper for my shirts that need to be washed on delicate, and Chloe has her own laundry hamper in her room since all of those clothes also need to be washed on delicate. Those of you with older children, there is absolutely no reason why your kids can’t have a laundry sorter as well, it will start teaching them how to sort. It should also be expected that clothes do not belong on the floor! My sister and I talked about this with her youngest, Sabrina tends to just leave her clothes where they fall.
2) Pick a day for you to do all the laundry, and this means every step: washing, drying, hanging and folding. I find this is a good day for a movie marathon, so when the clothes start coming out of the dryer, I can sit on the couch watching movies while I fold and hang clothes. In the time it takes to fold and hang, the next load is usually ready to come out of the dryer, so there is very little “down time.” In our old house, our washer and dryer were upstairs, so it worked perfectly to just fold and hang clothes in the room they should be in anyway. However, now I do it downstairs in the family room, because a majority of the time I am folding and hanging, Chloe is napping and I am always terrified of waking her up. If you can fold and hang in the room where the clothes live, that’s best.
3) As I am folding and hanging, I sort the clothes into their categories: socks, underwear, t-shirts and pajamas all get folded and placed in the laundry basket I use to transport clothes, then John’s long sleeve shirts, short sleeve work shirts and jeans get hung, my nice shirts get hung. When I take the clothes upstairs to put them away, it takes me less than five minutes to put them in the drawers where they belong, because they are already sorted.
4) Involve your kids as much as you can with the laundry. At this point with Chloe, she just pushes the buttons on our washer and dryer, I let her help me put the clothes into the washer, and I have her put her dirty clothes into her hamper. But as kids get older, its a great way to involve them in chores, especially matching socks or folding towels and washcloths. And if you have drawers and closets organized, its easy for your kids to put their own clothes away, as I said above, it takes less than 5 minutes of their valuable time.
Even if this system won’t work for you…the key with any system is that the clothes should be in and out of the washer and dryer and put away on the same day. If you are in the habit of stacking clothes, or leaving the clothes in the hamper then I am sure you also find the clothes stay there for days and continue to add to the clutter in the house. (I am guilty of this same offense on occasion, but I really try to follow my highly effective system as much as busy schedules will allow.)
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