Do you walk past the same pile of stuff every day and not even notice it? Has it been there so long that it has just become part of the landscape? Do you not even know what it on the bottom of the pile? You are not alone. Everyone does it.
Today, I decided to re-organize my older son's room. (Side note: It seems that the older they get, the smaller the pieces of their toys get, but the quantity increases.) On the top shelf of his bookcase, he likes to showcase his Lego masterpieces. I like this idea, and encourage him to be proud of the ones he makes on his own (and not the pre-designed kits). However, besides the Lego inventions, there have always been some pictures of my son. Some of him when he was a newborn, some with his different grandparents, and others of him just growing up. They were all in different types of frames. They have always been there. It was visually cluttered. It bothered me, yet it has been like that for years.
Well, today was the day to change that. I went and bought several inexpensive frames (I mean cheap! $1.50-$2.00 at Target!) They are all the same. They came in different sizes to fit the different pictures, but visually they are all the same. I grouped them in an appealing layout and hung them all on the wall. Now, it looks like a single collage of pictures. One piece of art, instead of random, mis-matched pictures that just seemed to take up too much space, not only on the shelf, but in my mind when looking at his room.
It took so little time to make a significant difference in the appearance of his room. Why did I wait so long to do it? I don't know. Probably because in the grand scheme of things, it is a low priority as far as all the things I have to do in a day. But, standing back and looking at it, I really feel like I accomplished something significant today. And, I am pretty sure that my son will love it, and actually LOOK at the pictures now, instead of walking right past them, as we have all done for so long.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Vacation!!
So, my family and I are getting ready to go on our annual vacation to the beach. I can't wait! I love sitting on the beach, playing in the water, reading magazines I would never read except when on the beach ( I won't name names, but you know the kind of trash I am talking about!), people watching, and eating fresh seafood!
There is, however, A LOT of work that goes into getting us all there with all the stuff that we need. Not only is it me, my husband and kids going. My mother, my father-in-law, and his wife are also going with us. My husband's job in this trip is to drive us there. My job is. . well, everything else.
I, of course, start with a list. I first do a quick jot down of all the things that come to mind that we will need. Sunscreen is always the first thing, being a red-head, and having a red-headed son! Beach towels, beach toys, etc. Naturally, my mind thinks of all the fun things that we will be doing while we are there. So, those things get on the list first. But, then, reality will come back to me. We won't spend every minute of every day at the beach. We will need to eat, we will need to wear clothes other than swimsuits at times, we will sleep, ride in the car for hours to get there and back, we will need to entertain the kids in the evening, or when it rains (as it poured down rain and flooded last time we were there!). All these other things need to be thought of, so I can plan for them and pack for them.
So, my list gets broken down into compartments: food, clothing, entertainment, beach, etc.
Then, I will try to think out what we will be doing each day for each of these groups. From experience, it is always the little things that end up bothering us the most. Like, when our condo had a coffee maker, but no coffee filters! Now, we have a small stash of coffee filters of different sizes (since we never know what kind of coffee maker there is) that we take with us.
When it gets close to the day we will leave, I will start gathering all the items in one place. This helps me see the things, and will often remind me of other things that we will need, or that I might need to go buy. It also shows me whether or not it will all fit in our car (Thank goodness for large SUV's!!)
When we start the actual packing, I try to think of the order that we will need things, and then pack it with the items that need to be accessible within reach, or on top in the suitcases. I make sure that there are books, games, snacks, and water, within reach for the boys in the car.
When we finally get to our condo, and everything is unloaded from the car, I quickly put everything in its place. The clothes in the dressers, the food in the kitchen, the shampoo in the shower, etc. I want our condo to feel like home. I don't want to have to search through suitcases the whole time we are there. And, as soon as the condo is prepared . . . I AM ON VACATION!
Break out the flip flops, swimsuits, and margaritas!
There is, however, A LOT of work that goes into getting us all there with all the stuff that we need. Not only is it me, my husband and kids going. My mother, my father-in-law, and his wife are also going with us. My husband's job in this trip is to drive us there. My job is. . well, everything else.
I, of course, start with a list. I first do a quick jot down of all the things that come to mind that we will need. Sunscreen is always the first thing, being a red-head, and having a red-headed son! Beach towels, beach toys, etc. Naturally, my mind thinks of all the fun things that we will be doing while we are there. So, those things get on the list first. But, then, reality will come back to me. We won't spend every minute of every day at the beach. We will need to eat, we will need to wear clothes other than swimsuits at times, we will sleep, ride in the car for hours to get there and back, we will need to entertain the kids in the evening, or when it rains (as it poured down rain and flooded last time we were there!). All these other things need to be thought of, so I can plan for them and pack for them.
So, my list gets broken down into compartments: food, clothing, entertainment, beach, etc.
Then, I will try to think out what we will be doing each day for each of these groups. From experience, it is always the little things that end up bothering us the most. Like, when our condo had a coffee maker, but no coffee filters! Now, we have a small stash of coffee filters of different sizes (since we never know what kind of coffee maker there is) that we take with us.
When it gets close to the day we will leave, I will start gathering all the items in one place. This helps me see the things, and will often remind me of other things that we will need, or that I might need to go buy. It also shows me whether or not it will all fit in our car (Thank goodness for large SUV's!!)
When we start the actual packing, I try to think of the order that we will need things, and then pack it with the items that need to be accessible within reach, or on top in the suitcases. I make sure that there are books, games, snacks, and water, within reach for the boys in the car.
When we finally get to our condo, and everything is unloaded from the car, I quickly put everything in its place. The clothes in the dressers, the food in the kitchen, the shampoo in the shower, etc. I want our condo to feel like home. I don't want to have to search through suitcases the whole time we are there. And, as soon as the condo is prepared . . . I AM ON VACATION!
Break out the flip flops, swimsuits, and margaritas!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
I recently went to the annual NAPO conference and expo. It was a wonderful experience. There were so many inspirational people there. One was Tim Sanders, our keynote speaker. He spoke of making better connections with people. That we should "Multiply the Value" of these relationships. That people should be better off for knowing us.
His speech definitely made me think of how I can make the world a better place.
As a mother, I make it my goal in life to help my children become excellent, productive, loving adults. By showing them how to help themselves and others, they will, in turn, make the world a better place by not being a burden on society, but make positive changes to it.
As a professional organizer, it is my passion to help people tame the chaos in their lives that keep them from starting, focusing on, and/or completing the important works that they need and want to do for the world. It is so hard to concentrate on the big picture when you are buried under clutter, or can't find your important papers, or even your keys to get you out the door on time! Bringing peace and harmony to people's lives, in my opinion, is important work. It may not directly feed the hungry, provide employment to those in need, or stop wars from starting, but I think it does make a positive change on people's lives.
As a person, I pride myself on my integrity. People who know me, know that I will always tell them the truth. I stand by my word, no matter what. I also assume the best in people. Not to the point of naivity, but to the point that I want to think that most people are good at their core. That they are not malicious, but truly want the right thing (even though I may not agree with them on how to get there).
Everyone can make a difference in the world, whether it be small or large. You can read Tim Sanders' tweets on Twitter: @sanderssays
His speech definitely made me think of how I can make the world a better place.
As a mother, I make it my goal in life to help my children become excellent, productive, loving adults. By showing them how to help themselves and others, they will, in turn, make the world a better place by not being a burden on society, but make positive changes to it.
As a professional organizer, it is my passion to help people tame the chaos in their lives that keep them from starting, focusing on, and/or completing the important works that they need and want to do for the world. It is so hard to concentrate on the big picture when you are buried under clutter, or can't find your important papers, or even your keys to get you out the door on time! Bringing peace and harmony to people's lives, in my opinion, is important work. It may not directly feed the hungry, provide employment to those in need, or stop wars from starting, but I think it does make a positive change on people's lives.
As a person, I pride myself on my integrity. People who know me, know that I will always tell them the truth. I stand by my word, no matter what. I also assume the best in people. Not to the point of naivity, but to the point that I want to think that most people are good at their core. That they are not malicious, but truly want the right thing (even though I may not agree with them on how to get there).
Everyone can make a difference in the world, whether it be small or large. You can read Tim Sanders' tweets on Twitter: @sanderssays
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