Here are some easy strategies that will help your kitchen clean-up be a breeze.
1. Start with a clean kitchen. If you have cleaned your kitchen the night before, you'll find it much easier to keep it cleaner. Remember that clutter breeds more clutter.
2. Clean up as you go. Run a sink full of warm soapy water before you start cooking. As you finish using each pan and pot, slip it into the soapy water to soak until the meal is complete. Keep a clean dishcloth handy to wipe up any spills as they happen.
3. Use the one-touch method. If you take out a spice, don't set it back on the counter. Pick up the spice, use it, and put it right back without in the cupboard. This tip alone will be a big help to you and you'll have a lot less clutter.
4. Take a minute before you serve the meal to transfer the pots and pans to the dishwasher.
5. Train your family to put their dishes directly into the dishwasher. I sometimes leave large notes on the counter to remind them not to place their dishes there. Even young children can do this if you take a few minutes to show them how and it will give them a sense of accomplishment.
6. If possible, try to get the whole family involved in the evening tidy up process. If everyone helps, you can have the kitchen sparkling clean in just a few minutes. It's building good habits for everyone and if you try to make it fun, it can be a nice family time. Feel free to splash a little water on each other, snap your husband with a towel, challenge your kids to see who can wipe their half of the table the quickest.
6. Immediately after dinner, start the dishwasher. Then you can empty the dishwasher before bed and the dishwasher will be ready for the next day's dishes. That is one of the key components to keeping a kitchen clean, is to have somewhere to put the dirty dishes.
1/31/09
1/26/09
Selling Your Unwanted Items
As part of the decluttering process, you're going to run into times when it makes sense to sell stuff. Whether it's clothes, toys, furniture, or sporting goods, there is a pretty healthy market for used stuff and you can take advantage of that. Are you going to make a ton of money this way? No, you aren't. You'll be lucky to make pennies on the dollar, but it gets people to show up at your house and cart stuff off and pay you a few bucks for the privilege.
Ebay is probably the most well-known site for selling your used stuff. I used to be an Ebay seller and I have extensive experience in this area both as a buyer and a seller. My advice is to only use Ebay for small, shippable items that are worth at least $100. Otherwise, the fees are just too much. How do you determine if something is worth $100? Go out and search for similar items and see what price they are going for. Search completed items if you can. That way you get what the item actually sold for and not what someone was asking for it.
Amazon is probably a less known site for selling your items, but I actually like it a lot better than Ebay. Even though it is mostly limited to books, CD's, and movies, it is SO much simpler to use. Ebay has about 5 screens that you have to go through and you have to submit a picture. Amazon has 1 screen where you just describe the condition of your item and select your price - much easier. The other nice thing about Amazon is that they pay Amazon directly so you don't have to wrangle with the buyer to receive the payment. It just automatically pops into your account minus a small fee for Amazon. They even give you a budget for postage.
In fact, I just sold a book on there yesterday. I had a book called the Green Collar Economy that I had bought from Amazon for about $18. I read most of it, got what I wanted out of it and posted it back for resale simply by going to the screen where I bought it and clicking the Sell Your Item button. I put my condition - like new, and set my price compared to the other items for sale out there. Then I just waited a couple of weeks for my E-mail telling me it was sold and I pop it in the mail and collect my $15.
PS: I also save a lot of money by buying pretty much all of my books, movies, and CD's from Amazon. Sometimes I buy them new, but a lot of the time, I save a few bucks by buying used copies in good condition and I've never been disappointed.
Craigslist and other local selling sites. I think Craigslist.com is brilliant! I've been using it for about 2 years and I've sold probably dozens of items through it. Anything from end tables to hamster cages to cars (I've sold my last 3 cars online). Craigslist is located in most major cities and it's FREE. You just log onto it and select the city you live in. Then if you want to sell something, you just type up a description of it, post a picture or two, and set a price. Then people call or E-mail you to come and buy it. One caution - Craiglist has a very high "flake" rate. I usually have 4 or 5 people contact me before someone actually shows up. I control this by telling people that I am only going to be available at a certain time for an hour or so and if they don't show up, I will leave. There are also similar sites popping up at most TV and radio station websites. There is even a listing for free stuff, so if you have something you just want hauled away, put it out there and more than likely, somebody will show up in a truck and haul it off.
Garage sales/Estate sales - There's a good reason I'm putting this last. Over my lifetime, I have probably done half a dozen or so garage sales or estate sales and I just HATE them. They are so much work for so little money, I just don't think they are hardly worth the effort. You spend the whole darn morning hauling your junk out into the yard and then spend the rest of the day haggling with idiots who want to buy everything for a quarter. Then you're stuck with all the junk that didn't sell anyway. I think if it's just little stuff like clothes, shoes, kid's toys, paperbacks, and old VHS tapes, you're better to just give them to charity and take a write-off on your taxes.
If you do need to do an estate sale, come and see me for advice. We've now lost all four of our parents, so we've been through this a couple of times and we can give you some good advice on how to do it effectively.
Ebay is probably the most well-known site for selling your used stuff. I used to be an Ebay seller and I have extensive experience in this area both as a buyer and a seller. My advice is to only use Ebay for small, shippable items that are worth at least $100. Otherwise, the fees are just too much. How do you determine if something is worth $100? Go out and search for similar items and see what price they are going for. Search completed items if you can. That way you get what the item actually sold for and not what someone was asking for it.
Amazon is probably a less known site for selling your items, but I actually like it a lot better than Ebay. Even though it is mostly limited to books, CD's, and movies, it is SO much simpler to use. Ebay has about 5 screens that you have to go through and you have to submit a picture. Amazon has 1 screen where you just describe the condition of your item and select your price - much easier. The other nice thing about Amazon is that they pay Amazon directly so you don't have to wrangle with the buyer to receive the payment. It just automatically pops into your account minus a small fee for Amazon. They even give you a budget for postage.
In fact, I just sold a book on there yesterday. I had a book called the Green Collar Economy that I had bought from Amazon for about $18. I read most of it, got what I wanted out of it and posted it back for resale simply by going to the screen where I bought it and clicking the Sell Your Item button. I put my condition - like new, and set my price compared to the other items for sale out there. Then I just waited a couple of weeks for my E-mail telling me it was sold and I pop it in the mail and collect my $15.
PS: I also save a lot of money by buying pretty much all of my books, movies, and CD's from Amazon. Sometimes I buy them new, but a lot of the time, I save a few bucks by buying used copies in good condition and I've never been disappointed.
Craigslist and other local selling sites. I think Craigslist.com is brilliant! I've been using it for about 2 years and I've sold probably dozens of items through it. Anything from end tables to hamster cages to cars (I've sold my last 3 cars online). Craigslist is located in most major cities and it's FREE. You just log onto it and select the city you live in. Then if you want to sell something, you just type up a description of it, post a picture or two, and set a price. Then people call or E-mail you to come and buy it. One caution - Craiglist has a very high "flake" rate. I usually have 4 or 5 people contact me before someone actually shows up. I control this by telling people that I am only going to be available at a certain time for an hour or so and if they don't show up, I will leave. There are also similar sites popping up at most TV and radio station websites. There is even a listing for free stuff, so if you have something you just want hauled away, put it out there and more than likely, somebody will show up in a truck and haul it off.
Garage sales/Estate sales - There's a good reason I'm putting this last. Over my lifetime, I have probably done half a dozen or so garage sales or estate sales and I just HATE them. They are so much work for so little money, I just don't think they are hardly worth the effort. You spend the whole darn morning hauling your junk out into the yard and then spend the rest of the day haggling with idiots who want to buy everything for a quarter. Then you're stuck with all the junk that didn't sell anyway. I think if it's just little stuff like clothes, shoes, kid's toys, paperbacks, and old VHS tapes, you're better to just give them to charity and take a write-off on your taxes.
If you do need to do an estate sale, come and see me for advice. We've now lost all four of our parents, so we've been through this a couple of times and we can give you some good advice on how to do it effectively.
1/25/09
Are You Running a Homeless Shelter?
Take a minute to mentally look around your house and see how many "homeless" items you have taking up space around your house. These can be items that have an established home, but are "vacationing" in another area. Or truly homeless items that don't have a home to begin with. How many of these freeloaders are you willing to put up with?
Keep in mind that these items are taking up space that is needed for legitimate items, and also clean, open space that is needed for your sanity. And after all, how much is THAT worth?
These items really just represent the postponed decisions in your life. You don't necessarily want them, but you haven't made the time to really sit down and take the time to evaluate them and take the steps necessary to either find them a permanent home, or send them on their way. It doesn't have to be a big chunk of time. Even five minutes is enough time to go through a shelf, or a drawer, or a pile of papers sitting in a corner. You can spare five minutes can't you? Shoot, that's one round of commercials during a TV program. And after a few five minute sessions here and there, things will start looking a whole lot better!
I read a great quote this week "When you clear the clutter out of your life, the stuff you really want has room to show up". Think about it. When you clear all the excess clutter in your schedule, you have time to do the fun stuff with your friends and family. When you clear the excess "clutter" from your body, you have room for new, pretty clothes and a more fun and active lifestyle, not to mention a few extra years of time on this earth.
When you clear the excess clutter out of your home, you are not only freeing up physical space, you are freeing up your time from cleaning as much, you are freeing up more space that makes it easier to store and use the items you want to have and enjoy using. You also free up your spirit from the stress and guilt of all that clutter. And honestly, what is it about all that junk that is worth all that hassle?
I have done countless decluttering missions in my house over the years. Everything from clothes, to toys, books, movies, and papers. I've sent boxes and boxes of stuff to charity and you know what? If my life depended on it, I couldn't tell you 5 things that I've gotten rid of.
If you really want to learn how to declutter your house and get out of the homeless shelter business - contact me about signing up for my next round of Messy Moms classes. I'll be starting a new one in a couple of weeks and if you're in the Salt Lake area, I'd love to have you join.
Keep in mind that these items are taking up space that is needed for legitimate items, and also clean, open space that is needed for your sanity. And after all, how much is THAT worth?
These items really just represent the postponed decisions in your life. You don't necessarily want them, but you haven't made the time to really sit down and take the time to evaluate them and take the steps necessary to either find them a permanent home, or send them on their way. It doesn't have to be a big chunk of time. Even five minutes is enough time to go through a shelf, or a drawer, or a pile of papers sitting in a corner. You can spare five minutes can't you? Shoot, that's one round of commercials during a TV program. And after a few five minute sessions here and there, things will start looking a whole lot better!
I read a great quote this week "When you clear the clutter out of your life, the stuff you really want has room to show up". Think about it. When you clear all the excess clutter in your schedule, you have time to do the fun stuff with your friends and family. When you clear the excess "clutter" from your body, you have room for new, pretty clothes and a more fun and active lifestyle, not to mention a few extra years of time on this earth.
When you clear the excess clutter out of your home, you are not only freeing up physical space, you are freeing up your time from cleaning as much, you are freeing up more space that makes it easier to store and use the items you want to have and enjoy using. You also free up your spirit from the stress and guilt of all that clutter. And honestly, what is it about all that junk that is worth all that hassle?
I have done countless decluttering missions in my house over the years. Everything from clothes, to toys, books, movies, and papers. I've sent boxes and boxes of stuff to charity and you know what? If my life depended on it, I couldn't tell you 5 things that I've gotten rid of.
If you really want to learn how to declutter your house and get out of the homeless shelter business - contact me about signing up for my next round of Messy Moms classes. I'll be starting a new one in a couple of weeks and if you're in the Salt Lake area, I'd love to have you join.
1/18/09
That CFC - Clean for Company Feeling
Does your house look different on "company" days than it does on "regular" days? If so, you're not alone. I don't know how many times my kids would ask me why we were cleaning up - was company coming? And that would make me sad because I was teaching them that other people were more important than they were in terms of keeping the house clean.
I used to really hate those CFC days. I would get so anxious when I knew someone was going to be coming over. I would feel like they were going to see my house in a negative light and I would spend all my time running around frantically cleaning up because I was so worried I would be embarrassed about my house. I would not only set aside anything else I had going on, but I was force my family to do the same and yell at them if I felt they weren't doing it "right". It was really horrible and as much as I love to spend time with other people, I would really dread it when they wanted to come over to my house. I would usually try to plan events so we would go out or go to someone else's house instead and only have people over when it really couldn't be avoided. What a sad way to live.
Now that I've made some changes, I love to have company over. I usually still need to do a bit of tidying up, but it's not a big major day-long process like it used to be. I can usually spend from 5 to 15 minutes on each room instead of an hour or more. Also, I've learned to adjust my attitude. I don't feel like my self-worth is tied up so much in the state of my house. If someone drops by and catches me on a bad day and the house is a bit messy, I don't freak out.
And more importantly, I don't apologize. That always seems kind of insecure to me when someone gets all flustered and starts making excuses for why the house is messy. It is what it is, but I can't worry about what someone else is thinking or how they're going to react. That is up to them and me making a big deal over how the house looks is just going to make it worse.
I think it's nice when we can give our families the gift of a clean house. It's great to have that for your friends, but your family spends a lot more time there and if they can enjoy that CFC feeling on a regular basis, that's a good benefit for them. Being in a clean space is more peaceful and relaxing, and also leads your family to want to help you more and keep their own areas cleaner. I was reading this post the other day on Unclutterer where they've done all these studies where even a tiny bit of clutter breeds more clutter. So by providing your family with a clutter-free environment, you are helping them to develop good clutter habits that will serve them well later in life.
Flylady has a great saying - "Housework done incorrectly still blesses your family". I interpret this to mean that we don't have to be perfect, we just have to get off our little fannies and do our best for our families.
I used to really hate those CFC days. I would get so anxious when I knew someone was going to be coming over. I would feel like they were going to see my house in a negative light and I would spend all my time running around frantically cleaning up because I was so worried I would be embarrassed about my house. I would not only set aside anything else I had going on, but I was force my family to do the same and yell at them if I felt they weren't doing it "right". It was really horrible and as much as I love to spend time with other people, I would really dread it when they wanted to come over to my house. I would usually try to plan events so we would go out or go to someone else's house instead and only have people over when it really couldn't be avoided. What a sad way to live.
Now that I've made some changes, I love to have company over. I usually still need to do a bit of tidying up, but it's not a big major day-long process like it used to be. I can usually spend from 5 to 15 minutes on each room instead of an hour or more. Also, I've learned to adjust my attitude. I don't feel like my self-worth is tied up so much in the state of my house. If someone drops by and catches me on a bad day and the house is a bit messy, I don't freak out.
And more importantly, I don't apologize. That always seems kind of insecure to me when someone gets all flustered and starts making excuses for why the house is messy. It is what it is, but I can't worry about what someone else is thinking or how they're going to react. That is up to them and me making a big deal over how the house looks is just going to make it worse.
I think it's nice when we can give our families the gift of a clean house. It's great to have that for your friends, but your family spends a lot more time there and if they can enjoy that CFC feeling on a regular basis, that's a good benefit for them. Being in a clean space is more peaceful and relaxing, and also leads your family to want to help you more and keep their own areas cleaner. I was reading this post the other day on Unclutterer where they've done all these studies where even a tiny bit of clutter breeds more clutter. So by providing your family with a clutter-free environment, you are helping them to develop good clutter habits that will serve them well later in life.
Flylady has a great saying - "Housework done incorrectly still blesses your family". I interpret this to mean that we don't have to be perfect, we just have to get off our little fannies and do our best for our families.
The PDQ (Pay Debts Quick) Plan
Because money is a very important topic for me, I have several different financial coaches that I signed up with. Suze Orman seems to be the guru of choice these days, but I don't care much for her. I prefer Mary Hunt of EverydayCheapskate.com, Dave Ramsay and Chellie Campbell of Chellie.com. They all have similar programs with minor variations and the good news is that any one of them will work.
This is some of the info I share in my classes. Especially now that the financial situation is getting worse and worse, this is important info to have. I think this is an important issue for women especially. I think that men tend to spend more on the big ticket items like cars, boats, etc. But I think as far as the overspenders who rack up the big debt, it's mostly women. Because I run a stamping business, I see a lot of this first-hand. I have seen women drop hundreds of dollars on merchandise that they are going to hide from their husbands in a closet somewhere and problem never even use.
That boggles my mind. I don't see how someone justifies spending what is basically imaginary money, especially on things they don't really need and won't actually use. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do plenty of impulse spending, but I never hide it from my husband and I do use everything I buy. Plus I'm allergic to debt and even though I have some, it isn't much and I work really hard to pay it down as fast as I can. I've been in serious debt before and it's NOT a fun place to be and I don't want to go back there ever again.
Anyway, back to the PDQ Plan. It's pretty simple. You take a spreadsheet or a piece of paper and you list all your debts - large or small. Some people like to line them up based on the interest rate, but I prefer to line them up small to large. It gives you more of a psychological boost to see them being paid off bit by bit.
It's a little daunting to see all your debts in one place, but it's time to face facts. The amount of money is going to be any less if you close your eyes to it. It is what it is and you have to come up with a plan for dealing with it.
Here's how the PDQ plan works. Let's say the smallest bill is a $300 debt that you pay $25 a month and the next largest bill is a $500 debt that is $50 a month. First of all, you cut back on things and save money like crazy so you have $100 a month to spend on that little bill. Three months and poof, that little bill is history. Now you take the $100 a month and apply it to bill number 2. At $150 a month, that bill is also gone in just under three months. So in six month's time or less you have eliminated two bills and freed up $150 a month of your income.
Then you just go through the rest of your bills in the same manner. It is hard work, but you'll get excited as you see your debt reducing as if by magic. The average time for a Debt Snowball like this to work is 18 months to two years. That sounds like a lot, but when you look at how long this debt has been following you around, it really isn't too bad. And by the end of the process, you'll have several hundred dollars in extra money every month - some to save for a rainy day and some to spend on all those fun things you've been denying yourself.
This is some of the info I share in my classes. Especially now that the financial situation is getting worse and worse, this is important info to have. I think this is an important issue for women especially. I think that men tend to spend more on the big ticket items like cars, boats, etc. But I think as far as the overspenders who rack up the big debt, it's mostly women. Because I run a stamping business, I see a lot of this first-hand. I have seen women drop hundreds of dollars on merchandise that they are going to hide from their husbands in a closet somewhere and problem never even use.
That boggles my mind. I don't see how someone justifies spending what is basically imaginary money, especially on things they don't really need and won't actually use. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do plenty of impulse spending, but I never hide it from my husband and I do use everything I buy. Plus I'm allergic to debt and even though I have some, it isn't much and I work really hard to pay it down as fast as I can. I've been in serious debt before and it's NOT a fun place to be and I don't want to go back there ever again.
Anyway, back to the PDQ Plan. It's pretty simple. You take a spreadsheet or a piece of paper and you list all your debts - large or small. Some people like to line them up based on the interest rate, but I prefer to line them up small to large. It gives you more of a psychological boost to see them being paid off bit by bit.
It's a little daunting to see all your debts in one place, but it's time to face facts. The amount of money is going to be any less if you close your eyes to it. It is what it is and you have to come up with a plan for dealing with it.
Here's how the PDQ plan works. Let's say the smallest bill is a $300 debt that you pay $25 a month and the next largest bill is a $500 debt that is $50 a month. First of all, you cut back on things and save money like crazy so you have $100 a month to spend on that little bill. Three months and poof, that little bill is history. Now you take the $100 a month and apply it to bill number 2. At $150 a month, that bill is also gone in just under three months. So in six month's time or less you have eliminated two bills and freed up $150 a month of your income.
Then you just go through the rest of your bills in the same manner. It is hard work, but you'll get excited as you see your debt reducing as if by magic. The average time for a Debt Snowball like this to work is 18 months to two years. That sounds like a lot, but when you look at how long this debt has been following you around, it really isn't too bad. And by the end of the process, you'll have several hundred dollars in extra money every month - some to save for a rainy day and some to spend on all those fun things you've been denying yourself.
1/17/09
The Brat Factory
People often ask me how I thought up the idea to teach these classes. I got it from Pam and Peggy who are two very busy sisters who are in this business. They have both written a number of great books on the subjects and have CD's and videos and other resources - several of them are available for purchase on my sidebar. One of the resources they have is a set of CD's for people like me who want to teach classes and that is how I got started designing this class. They are also the ones who gave Flylady her start. She originally started decluttering and cleaning her house with their card system and now she has over half a million members!
I'm not sure what Peggy is doing. I think I had heard that she had some health problems and retired, but Pam runs a pair of very interesting websites these days. One is called The Brat Factory - Bratfactor.com. You can sign up with her to get tips and surprises every day of the year. I get them and I enjoy them very much.
The Brat Factory is based on a premise that part of the reason we do the things we do is because there is a child-like part of us in our mind, or our heart, or our soul, that isn't being addressed. So it acts out in negative ways like overeating, not cleaning our homes, spending too much time on-line, or overshopping.
If you think about it, this is exactly the way our children would act if we weren't around. Pam deals with this problem by addressing the brat in her life directly. She calls her Nelly for that bratty little girl on The Little House on the Prairie, and she deals with her exactly the way you would a child. Sometimes she will make deals with her - if you'll let me clean up this bathroom in peace, we'll sit down afterwards and watch TV for an hour. Or she'll speak sternly to her - I know you want to go to the mall and buy a new pair of shoes, but we just can't afford it right now. Or she'll be kind to her the way you would to a child - I know you're sad today, so I'm going to let you take a nice bubble bath and then we're going to bed with a good book. It's actually kind of interesting and it seems to work for her very well.
Some of us didn't have ideal childhoods, and I think this is a way of getting the attention and the love that we didn't receive from our parents. I call my brat Trixie, because she tricks me into doing things I shouldn't do sometimes, like hitting the snooze button too many times, overspending or choosing to watch TV when I've set aside time to work on my stamping. It's a free website - you ought to check it out.
The other website Pam runs is called The House Fairy - HouseFairy.com. If you have children under the age of 10, this is definitely the website for you! The House Fairy is supposedly the sister of Santa Claus and she motivates kids in much the same way. The kit comes with letters for you to leave as the House Fairy when your kids have kept their rooms clean or done their chores. There is "Magic Dust" (glitter) that she leaves behind after a visit. They can even post pictures of their sparkling clean rooms on her website. It's a great motivational tool and it costs like $15 for two years, so that's really reasonable.
I'm not sure what Peggy is doing. I think I had heard that she had some health problems and retired, but Pam runs a pair of very interesting websites these days. One is called The Brat Factory - Bratfactor.com. You can sign up with her to get tips and surprises every day of the year. I get them and I enjoy them very much.
The Brat Factory is based on a premise that part of the reason we do the things we do is because there is a child-like part of us in our mind, or our heart, or our soul, that isn't being addressed. So it acts out in negative ways like overeating, not cleaning our homes, spending too much time on-line, or overshopping.
If you think about it, this is exactly the way our children would act if we weren't around. Pam deals with this problem by addressing the brat in her life directly. She calls her Nelly for that bratty little girl on The Little House on the Prairie, and she deals with her exactly the way you would a child. Sometimes she will make deals with her - if you'll let me clean up this bathroom in peace, we'll sit down afterwards and watch TV for an hour. Or she'll speak sternly to her - I know you want to go to the mall and buy a new pair of shoes, but we just can't afford it right now. Or she'll be kind to her the way you would to a child - I know you're sad today, so I'm going to let you take a nice bubble bath and then we're going to bed with a good book. It's actually kind of interesting and it seems to work for her very well.
Some of us didn't have ideal childhoods, and I think this is a way of getting the attention and the love that we didn't receive from our parents. I call my brat Trixie, because she tricks me into doing things I shouldn't do sometimes, like hitting the snooze button too many times, overspending or choosing to watch TV when I've set aside time to work on my stamping. It's a free website - you ought to check it out.
The other website Pam runs is called The House Fairy - HouseFairy.com. If you have children under the age of 10, this is definitely the website for you! The House Fairy is supposedly the sister of Santa Claus and she motivates kids in much the same way. The kit comes with letters for you to leave as the House Fairy when your kids have kept their rooms clean or done their chores. There is "Magic Dust" (glitter) that she leaves behind after a visit. They can even post pictures of their sparkling clean rooms on her website. It's a great motivational tool and it costs like $15 for two years, so that's really reasonable.
Everything Needs to have a Home
When you get home from the grocery store, do you just leave the groceries in the bags and just take the food out of them when you need it? Why not? I know a lot of people do that for laundry. They leave it in the basket and just pick out a t-shirt or a pair of socks when they need them. Or the leave a stack of mail on the counter and just pick out a bill or a letter when they need them. Why don't we do that with groceries?
Obviously part of it is that some food will spoil and needs to be stored in the fridge or freezer to protect it. But it's also that we were taught at a very young age that groceries need to be put away right away, every time. Plus there is a clear home for groceries. We have cupboards and pantries and shelves to put our food on.
You can develop these habits for other things as well. What you if treated your mail like you do your groceries and put it away in it's designated spots the moment you came into the house? Same thing with your laundry. Pretend there's a container of milk in there that's going to go sour if you don't get them into drawers right away.
Here's a great tip I picked up somewhere. When you lose something, the minute you find it, take it and put it back in the FIRST place you looked. That is it's natural home and if you keep it there, you'll always be able to find it.
Obviously part of it is that some food will spoil and needs to be stored in the fridge or freezer to protect it. But it's also that we were taught at a very young age that groceries need to be put away right away, every time. Plus there is a clear home for groceries. We have cupboards and pantries and shelves to put our food on.
You can develop these habits for other things as well. What you if treated your mail like you do your groceries and put it away in it's designated spots the moment you came into the house? Same thing with your laundry. Pretend there's a container of milk in there that's going to go sour if you don't get them into drawers right away.
Here's a great tip I picked up somewhere. When you lose something, the minute you find it, take it and put it back in the FIRST place you looked. That is it's natural home and if you keep it there, you'll always be able to find it.
1/16/09
Erase the Evidence
If CSI came into your house, would they be able to tell what you've been doing all day?
If there were crumbs or plates on the table, they'd know what you had for lunch. If there were bill stubs, stamps and envelopes laying around, they'd know you had been paying bills. If you left your craft supplies laying around, they'd know what crafts you'd been doing, what books you'd been reading, what toys your kids have been playing with.
Now, is the point of this that you're hiding a guilty secret and you don't want the FBI to know - no, of course not. But this stuff is also clutter that very subtly creeps into your house throughout the day and makes it look messy.
However, if you get into the habit of tidying things up as you go, it's just like you are erasing the evidence. No crumbs, no bill stubs, no toys lying around (kid's or adults!). Everyone picks up as they go along and the house miraculously stays clean. It really works and this is what the cleanie types do all the time. The beauty of it is that these little minutes here and there probably don't add up to half the time you spend when you are doing a big tidy-up for company.
Why not give it a try for a couple of days and see how much more peaceful and calm it is around your house and how much easier you can find things. I think you'll really like it.
If there were crumbs or plates on the table, they'd know what you had for lunch. If there were bill stubs, stamps and envelopes laying around, they'd know you had been paying bills. If you left your craft supplies laying around, they'd know what crafts you'd been doing, what books you'd been reading, what toys your kids have been playing with.
Now, is the point of this that you're hiding a guilty secret and you don't want the FBI to know - no, of course not. But this stuff is also clutter that very subtly creeps into your house throughout the day and makes it look messy.
However, if you get into the habit of tidying things up as you go, it's just like you are erasing the evidence. No crumbs, no bill stubs, no toys lying around (kid's or adults!). Everyone picks up as they go along and the house miraculously stays clean. It really works and this is what the cleanie types do all the time. The beauty of it is that these little minutes here and there probably don't add up to half the time you spend when you are doing a big tidy-up for company.
Why not give it a try for a couple of days and see how much more peaceful and calm it is around your house and how much easier you can find things. I think you'll really like it.
1/15/09
First Impressions
You know the old saying "You never have a second chance to make a first impression". I think this is really a true saying. Psychologists have done tests to show that we make our first impression of a new person within literally a fraction of a second.
The tough thing about that is that you can't control much about what happens in such a brief time frame. If it happens that quickly, it isn't about what you say or what you do particularly. It's entirely based upon your physical appearance - your clothing, your hairstyle or makeup, your posture, and your overall attitude.
Once someone makes this general impression of you, they have decided whether to like you or not and unless you do some pretty drastic to change their mind, that is the way they are always going to think of you. That sounds really harsh, but it seems to be a hardwired thing in the subconscious mind and even if we wanted to behave differently towards people, we probably can't make much of a change in that behavior.
These are pretty much all things you can control to some degree, which means you can have a lot of influence over the way you are perceived and the way people are going to treat you.
I'm sure it's much the same with your house. Your yard, your front door and your entryway are all part of that first impression someone gets when someone comes to your home. Why not go out and look at your house the way a Real Estate agent would look at it? Is there trash in your yard? Do your flower beds need weeding, or your snow and ice need to be removed? Are there kids toys, shoes, or tools by your front door? How long has it been since you swept your front porch?
There are a number of quick and easy fixes you can do to make that first impression a good one, both for your house and for yourself. We just don't think to do them, or we think somehow that people just "won't notice". But I think that's just something we tell ourselves. I think a lot of people do notice, but they are to kind and polite to want to hurt our feelings by telling us.
Sometimes just a few simple changes like a touch of makeup, some inexpensive jewelry, and maybe a slightly nicer top can not only make a difference in the way we look, but also in our attitude and the way we feel about ourselves. I can just hear you now, but I LOVE my comfy sweats, my broken-in jeans and my old worn out shoes. I'm just going to be with the kids all day, why should I bother to put on makeup or jewelry? I know exactly how you feel. I work from home one or two days a week and I know that on those days, I tend to "dress down" a bit from what I would wear into the office.
But wouldn't you know it, those grungy days when you are walking around with unwashed hair, or your husband's old T-shirt on, or pants with a big stain on them, those are the days that you are going to sneak out to the grocery store or the post office and run into someone you weren't expecting to see. Your child's principal, your minister, or someone from your husband's office.
Do you remember Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman? She went into those fancy shops and because she was dressed so poorly, the women felt perfectly entitled to be horribly rude to her. I mean, this is Julia Roberts. Even dressed so poorly, she was a complete knockout with a gorgeous smile and a killer bod, but in the wrong clothes, no one could see her beauty. All they could see was what the clothes were saying.
You just never know. So, even on those stay-at-home days, I still have some minimum standards. I wear a little bit of makeup - at least some mascara and eyeshadow. I may wear more casual clothes, but everything is clean and fits properly. If I notice something is getting too tight, or is too baggy, or needs repairs beyond a safety pin or two out they go. I have a special give-away box in my guest room and they go right in there. Someone else will give them a good home and enjoy them.
So, your challenge today is to take a moment and give a bit of thought to the first impression you would give someone if you just met them today, both for yourself and for your house. Is this an impression you would want to live with, or would you rather make a few quick changes to start off on the right foot?
The tough thing about that is that you can't control much about what happens in such a brief time frame. If it happens that quickly, it isn't about what you say or what you do particularly. It's entirely based upon your physical appearance - your clothing, your hairstyle or makeup, your posture, and your overall attitude.
Once someone makes this general impression of you, they have decided whether to like you or not and unless you do some pretty drastic to change their mind, that is the way they are always going to think of you. That sounds really harsh, but it seems to be a hardwired thing in the subconscious mind and even if we wanted to behave differently towards people, we probably can't make much of a change in that behavior.
These are pretty much all things you can control to some degree, which means you can have a lot of influence over the way you are perceived and the way people are going to treat you.
I'm sure it's much the same with your house. Your yard, your front door and your entryway are all part of that first impression someone gets when someone comes to your home. Why not go out and look at your house the way a Real Estate agent would look at it? Is there trash in your yard? Do your flower beds need weeding, or your snow and ice need to be removed? Are there kids toys, shoes, or tools by your front door? How long has it been since you swept your front porch?
There are a number of quick and easy fixes you can do to make that first impression a good one, both for your house and for yourself. We just don't think to do them, or we think somehow that people just "won't notice". But I think that's just something we tell ourselves. I think a lot of people do notice, but they are to kind and polite to want to hurt our feelings by telling us.
Sometimes just a few simple changes like a touch of makeup, some inexpensive jewelry, and maybe a slightly nicer top can not only make a difference in the way we look, but also in our attitude and the way we feel about ourselves. I can just hear you now, but I LOVE my comfy sweats, my broken-in jeans and my old worn out shoes. I'm just going to be with the kids all day, why should I bother to put on makeup or jewelry? I know exactly how you feel. I work from home one or two days a week and I know that on those days, I tend to "dress down" a bit from what I would wear into the office.
But wouldn't you know it, those grungy days when you are walking around with unwashed hair, or your husband's old T-shirt on, or pants with a big stain on them, those are the days that you are going to sneak out to the grocery store or the post office and run into someone you weren't expecting to see. Your child's principal, your minister, or someone from your husband's office.
Do you remember Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman? She went into those fancy shops and because she was dressed so poorly, the women felt perfectly entitled to be horribly rude to her. I mean, this is Julia Roberts. Even dressed so poorly, she was a complete knockout with a gorgeous smile and a killer bod, but in the wrong clothes, no one could see her beauty. All they could see was what the clothes were saying.
You just never know. So, even on those stay-at-home days, I still have some minimum standards. I wear a little bit of makeup - at least some mascara and eyeshadow. I may wear more casual clothes, but everything is clean and fits properly. If I notice something is getting too tight, or is too baggy, or needs repairs beyond a safety pin or two out they go. I have a special give-away box in my guest room and they go right in there. Someone else will give them a good home and enjoy them.
So, your challenge today is to take a moment and give a bit of thought to the first impression you would give someone if you just met them today, both for yourself and for your house. Is this an impression you would want to live with, or would you rather make a few quick changes to start off on the right foot?
Upcoming Messy Mom's Classes
For all you New Year's Resolution types, I wanted to announce my next round of Messy Mom's classes. I am going to start off the year with a bang by starting two classes at once. I'm going to start one class on Wednesday nights and the other on Sunday afternoons. These will be taught at my house in Sandy starting on January 14th from 7:00 to 8:30 and the 18th from 3:00 to 4:30 in the afternoon.
To give you a little background on my classes, they are four week sessions that are taught right in my living room. I try to pattern my classes in a way that is similar to the Weight Watcher's format - each week we have a combination of lesson time and time for sharing our experiences. I want to hear what challenges each person has and whether or not they have benefited from the previous week's lessons. That helps me fine-tune the class to provide the most helpful information to you.
The reason I have it as a four week class is to give my students a chance to build on each week's lesson. Let's face it, we've all been down this road before, many of us several times and we have to build up our credibility all over again, both with ourselves and with our families. We've all tried the latest and greatest gimmicks, books, websites, and advice from friends and family to get our darn houses cleaned up! Some methods have been more successful than others, but I don't know many people who have had the opportunity who have been able to attend a live class like this to get ideas from a real person in a way that works for them.
Here is the basic plan for the 4 week class:
Week 1 - Basic daily cleaning routines and your vision for the home you want to create
Week 2 - The easy way to declutter your house and what to get rid of and how
Week 3 - Get your family on board. How to get your family to participate in the daily cleaning process without fussing, arguing and nagging, and how to get them to show more appreciation for your efforts.
Week 4 - Resources to keep you going in the future/Getting your finances in order
The base cost of the class is $50 for the series. I offer small discounts for early payment or for signing up with a friend or relative.
I'm starting a new advertising program, so I am expecting these classes to fill up pretty quickly. If you want to reserve a spot, you'll want to contact me pretty quickly. Click HERE to E-mail me for more info or click the Paypal button to sign up for a class.
To give you a little background on my classes, they are four week sessions that are taught right in my living room. I try to pattern my classes in a way that is similar to the Weight Watcher's format - each week we have a combination of lesson time and time for sharing our experiences. I want to hear what challenges each person has and whether or not they have benefited from the previous week's lessons. That helps me fine-tune the class to provide the most helpful information to you.
The reason I have it as a four week class is to give my students a chance to build on each week's lesson. Let's face it, we've all been down this road before, many of us several times and we have to build up our credibility all over again, both with ourselves and with our families. We've all tried the latest and greatest gimmicks, books, websites, and advice from friends and family to get our darn houses cleaned up! Some methods have been more successful than others, but I don't know many people who have had the opportunity who have been able to attend a live class like this to get ideas from a real person in a way that works for them.
Here is the basic plan for the 4 week class:
Week 1 - Basic daily cleaning routines and your vision for the home you want to create
Week 2 - The easy way to declutter your house and what to get rid of and how
Week 3 - Get your family on board. How to get your family to participate in the daily cleaning process without fussing, arguing and nagging, and how to get them to show more appreciation for your efforts.
Week 4 - Resources to keep you going in the future/Getting your finances in order
The base cost of the class is $50 for the series. I offer small discounts for early payment or for signing up with a friend or relative.
I'm starting a new advertising program, so I am expecting these classes to fill up pretty quickly. If you want to reserve a spot, you'll want to contact me pretty quickly. Click HERE to E-mail me for more info or click the Paypal button to sign up for a class.
1/13/09
Coupon Organization
I have to admit that I've never been a fan of grocery coupons. It seems like every time I've ever used them, I've ended up spending an extra hour and about $50 more than I normally spend. But I know that a lot of people are anxious to save money these days and coupons really are a great time to do that.
But (and this is a BIG but) in order to use coupons effectively, you have to be dedicated and organized about it. I found a fabulous tip today from Mary Hunt at Everyday Cheapskate. I get her newsletter and she always has some great tips to share.
She has a client who uses those plastic sleeves that are designed to hold baseball cards. She has one page for each category of coupons - frozen foods, baby items, etc. And then she just tucks her coupons into the little pockets and carries it in a slim notebook that fits into her grocery basket. Then when she gets to the appropriate section, she can just flip open her notebook and easily see what coupons she has and select the ones she wants to use and transfers those to an envelope at the front of the notebook.
I think that's a fabulous idea. I probably even have some of those sleeves around from when my kids collected baseball cards. Give it a try and let me know how you like it.
But (and this is a BIG but) in order to use coupons effectively, you have to be dedicated and organized about it. I found a fabulous tip today from Mary Hunt at Everyday Cheapskate. I get her newsletter and she always has some great tips to share.
She has a client who uses those plastic sleeves that are designed to hold baseball cards. She has one page for each category of coupons - frozen foods, baby items, etc. And then she just tucks her coupons into the little pockets and carries it in a slim notebook that fits into her grocery basket. Then when she gets to the appropriate section, she can just flip open her notebook and easily see what coupons she has and select the ones she wants to use and transfers those to an envelope at the front of the notebook.
I think that's a fabulous idea. I probably even have some of those sleeves around from when my kids collected baseball cards. Give it a try and let me know how you like it.
The Acorn Choice
Here is a great analogy I found. We all start out as acorns, so we all have the potential to be mighty oak trees. Some of us just think we can only be fatter and shinier acorns, but that is only of interest to pigs.
If we want to fulfill our potential and grow to be oak trees, what do we need to do? Well, we need to be patient, we need to work hard to fulfill our potential to become what we are capable of. And we also need to take care of ourselves. To enjoy the good soil, sunlight, and fresh clean water to enable us to grow strong and healthy. And above all, we need to let go of our indulgent acorn-like behavior. To avoid the overeating, overspending, and the time spent indulging our bad habits and hobbies at the expense of progress towards our goals.
If we want to fulfill our potential and grow to be oak trees, what do we need to do? Well, we need to be patient, we need to work hard to fulfill our potential to become what we are capable of. And we also need to take care of ourselves. To enjoy the good soil, sunlight, and fresh clean water to enable us to grow strong and healthy. And above all, we need to let go of our indulgent acorn-like behavior. To avoid the overeating, overspending, and the time spent indulging our bad habits and hobbies at the expense of progress towards our goals.
1/11/09
Bookshelf Challenge
This is my bookshelf. Well, one of my bookshelves. I'm quite the book lover, so I have a couple of them. But this is where I keep my most favorite books. It looks a little nicer than usual because we're painting the basement and we just repainted this from yucky yellow-y off-white to a plain white. But this is basically how my bookshelf looks most of the time.
Because I love my books, I love an organized bookshelf. I have my books very carefully organized by type, by author, and even by size. This section is all books by my favorite Science Fiction author Anne McCaffrey, so that's why the shelves are double stacked, to fit them all in this section together. Up top are our Time-Life books and some of my mother's books.
The bottom shelves are my other Science Fiction paperbacks, all organized by size and by author. Yes, I know it's a little overkill, but it's worth it when I reach over and find exactly the book I want in seconds. And I get a big charge from seeing them all lined up and looking pretty. Yes, I know there's a bit of a gap there - my son's girlfriend and I are re-reading the Twilight series (again!), so there are a couple of books there.
From an organizational point of view, I did make one mistake. I didn't leave any room for expansion. When I rearrange my other shelf, I'm hoping I'll have some more room on that one and I can shift a few over. Yes I know I could declutter some of them, but I got rid of two big boxes just before we moved last year, so I'm mostly down to the ones I really love. If worse comes to worst and I don't find any extra room in the other shelf, I might be inclined to prune my movie shelf and put a category of books over there. That's one solution when you're really stuck in the decluttering system. If you really can't prune in one particular category, you can always cut back in a different category to compensate.
So, here's your challenge - take a look at your bookshelf (or bookshelves) and see what you need to do with it. Do you need to add more shelves? Weed out some books? Do you have your books organized in some kind of system that makes sense to you or are they just piled in there in every which way? If not, now would be a good time to add some organization to your bookshelf.
Now, here's how you DON'T organize your bookshelf. For the love of little kittens, DON'T take everything out of the bookshelf and dump it all on the floor! I know I did, but that was just because we were painting the shelves. Your best bet is to clear out just ONE shelf. Now pick a category such as business or self-help books. Comb through the rest of the shelves and find any and all books that match this category and shift them all to the clear shelf, weeding out any books that can be decluttered - of course you have a box or two handy to deal with them. Now smoosh the books around to fill up the empty gaps, which will create some space for the next category.
By doing it this way, you can do the change in small increments, a little bit at a time if need be. Even if you need to set it aside for a day or even a week, you can do so without having a huge mess to make you feel terrible about your area.
Because I love my books, I love an organized bookshelf. I have my books very carefully organized by type, by author, and even by size. This section is all books by my favorite Science Fiction author Anne McCaffrey, so that's why the shelves are double stacked, to fit them all in this section together. Up top are our Time-Life books and some of my mother's books.
The bottom shelves are my other Science Fiction paperbacks, all organized by size and by author. Yes, I know it's a little overkill, but it's worth it when I reach over and find exactly the book I want in seconds. And I get a big charge from seeing them all lined up and looking pretty. Yes, I know there's a bit of a gap there - my son's girlfriend and I are re-reading the Twilight series (again!), so there are a couple of books there.
From an organizational point of view, I did make one mistake. I didn't leave any room for expansion. When I rearrange my other shelf, I'm hoping I'll have some more room on that one and I can shift a few over. Yes I know I could declutter some of them, but I got rid of two big boxes just before we moved last year, so I'm mostly down to the ones I really love. If worse comes to worst and I don't find any extra room in the other shelf, I might be inclined to prune my movie shelf and put a category of books over there. That's one solution when you're really stuck in the decluttering system. If you really can't prune in one particular category, you can always cut back in a different category to compensate.
So, here's your challenge - take a look at your bookshelf (or bookshelves) and see what you need to do with it. Do you need to add more shelves? Weed out some books? Do you have your books organized in some kind of system that makes sense to you or are they just piled in there in every which way? If not, now would be a good time to add some organization to your bookshelf.
Now, here's how you DON'T organize your bookshelf. For the love of little kittens, DON'T take everything out of the bookshelf and dump it all on the floor! I know I did, but that was just because we were painting the shelves. Your best bet is to clear out just ONE shelf. Now pick a category such as business or self-help books. Comb through the rest of the shelves and find any and all books that match this category and shift them all to the clear shelf, weeding out any books that can be decluttered - of course you have a box or two handy to deal with them. Now smoosh the books around to fill up the empty gaps, which will create some space for the next category.
By doing it this way, you can do the change in small increments, a little bit at a time if need be. Even if you need to set it aside for a day or even a week, you can do so without having a huge mess to make you feel terrible about your area.
1/10/09
Planner Challenges
OK, I'm going to 'fess up. I am planner challenged. Seriously planner challenged. Over the years I have purchased numerous planners, calendars, electronic organizers, and the like and totally failed at every one of them. I can't figure out if I've got too much going on in my life or too little, but I just don't take well to writing things down on a little calendar and then remembering to check it every day. I've even been to the 2 day Franklin Covey classes that cost a bloody fortune, but I still fell off the wagon after a couple of months.
I think the problem is that my life in some ways is very routine. My job is basically Accounting, so I'm typically doing the same things over and over again month after month. Same thing at home - Scouts is on Thursdays, Karate is on Fridays, stamp class is the 2nd Tuesday of the month. Pretty routine stuff, so I mostly just keep it in my head. Of course that way isn't particularly foolproof, because anything out of the ordinary tends to leak right out of my head somehow. I mean, tomorrow I'm supposed to go to the church at 10:00 and help take down the decorations. Fortunately someone called to remind me tonight because it drifted right out of my head the minute I walked out the church door last Sunday.
I do have one thing that works for me. My Outlook calendar at work. I do love that and it pops up with these little reminders at 15 minutes and then 5 minutes before every meeting or event. Plus you can put recurring events, so if you need to pull a certain report every Friday, you just put in a reminder and it will pop up every Friday without fail. But, unfortunately, that only covers me for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. The rest of the time, my poor brain is on it's own and it's too little to be out there alone....
So, what's a girl to do? Well, I've got a couple of things. One thing is to find a calendar that will fit easily into my purse. The problem with the Outlook calendar, and the calendar hanging on my wall at home is that I don't have them with me all the time. But if I got one of those dimestore calendars that fits neatly into my purse, I'll have it at work, home, and at church. Of course, a PDA or a Blackberry (Crackberry) would be even nicer, but that's out of my budget right now, so I'm sticking to the paper.
Here's the other thing I've found - my new To Do list. Look at this nifty little list I found while prowling the Franklin Covey store trying to get my nerve up to try yet another planner (I didn't!). I actually like To Do lists and I find them very effective, but I don't use them as often as I should. The problem is that I feel kind of weird putting my personal stuff on my work to do lists and vice-versa. This solves the problem quite nicely, I think. It has three separate sections, each with a little tear off pad with a pre-printed list, complete with check boxes. I think the check marks are half the fun of a To Do list anyway.
I've only had it for a couple of days, but already I think it's helping a lot. I had a very productive day at work. I remembered to do a couple of tasks at home that I've been putting off, and I put down several ideas for blog posts on the play section, so I'll be covered for most of next week on posts. I even put a few things on there for myself - like exercise, and leave work on time.
I think the problem is that my life in some ways is very routine. My job is basically Accounting, so I'm typically doing the same things over and over again month after month. Same thing at home - Scouts is on Thursdays, Karate is on Fridays, stamp class is the 2nd Tuesday of the month. Pretty routine stuff, so I mostly just keep it in my head. Of course that way isn't particularly foolproof, because anything out of the ordinary tends to leak right out of my head somehow. I mean, tomorrow I'm supposed to go to the church at 10:00 and help take down the decorations. Fortunately someone called to remind me tonight because it drifted right out of my head the minute I walked out the church door last Sunday.
I do have one thing that works for me. My Outlook calendar at work. I do love that and it pops up with these little reminders at 15 minutes and then 5 minutes before every meeting or event. Plus you can put recurring events, so if you need to pull a certain report every Friday, you just put in a reminder and it will pop up every Friday without fail. But, unfortunately, that only covers me for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. The rest of the time, my poor brain is on it's own and it's too little to be out there alone....
So, what's a girl to do? Well, I've got a couple of things. One thing is to find a calendar that will fit easily into my purse. The problem with the Outlook calendar, and the calendar hanging on my wall at home is that I don't have them with me all the time. But if I got one of those dimestore calendars that fits neatly into my purse, I'll have it at work, home, and at church. Of course, a PDA or a Blackberry (Crackberry) would be even nicer, but that's out of my budget right now, so I'm sticking to the paper.
Here's the other thing I've found - my new To Do list. Look at this nifty little list I found while prowling the Franklin Covey store trying to get my nerve up to try yet another planner (I didn't!). I actually like To Do lists and I find them very effective, but I don't use them as often as I should. The problem is that I feel kind of weird putting my personal stuff on my work to do lists and vice-versa. This solves the problem quite nicely, I think. It has three separate sections, each with a little tear off pad with a pre-printed list, complete with check boxes. I think the check marks are half the fun of a To Do list anyway.
I've only had it for a couple of days, but already I think it's helping a lot. I had a very productive day at work. I remembered to do a couple of tasks at home that I've been putting off, and I put down several ideas for blog posts on the play section, so I'll be covered for most of next week on posts. I even put a few things on there for myself - like exercise, and leave work on time.
What organizational tools do you like best?
1/7/09
Laundry Tips - Tackling Mount Washmore
Keeping on top of the laundry pile is one of the biggest challenges in managing a house. The problem is that it never stays done. Your family is generating new laundry every single day, so it can get away from you pretty quickly if you don't have a plan for dealing with it.
The first thing you need to look at is the room itself. If your laundry room is clean and attractive, you're going to dread going out there. Take a few minutes and look around to see what you can do to make it more comfortable, efficient, and attractive. If it's out in the garage, can you add some rugs so you don't have to walk over the cold concrete? Do you need some shelves to store your soap and other laundry supplies in a more convenient spot? Maybe a table or a counter to fold the laundry? Maybe you could add an under the cabinet radio or a small TV to entertain you while you are folding laundry. Use your imagination.
Maybe the solution is as simple as a coat of fresh paint, and some pretty pictures on the wall. I know you're thinking it's just a laundry room and you'll probably be the only one to see it, but you're just as important as anyone else, aren't you? Have fun with it. You could decorate it in frogs, or chickens, or whatever you like best. You're probably going to be spending more time in there than anyone else, so let it be a fun place for you to go.
Next you need to look at your laundry routine. You'll need to adjust this to suit the size of your family and your schedule. Some women prefer to do one or more loads a day, while others like to dedicate an entire day and get it all out of the way at once. Either one works as long as you keep some kind of regular schedule. What doesn't work is ignoring it until every laundry basket in the house is overflowing. That's what Flylady calls Mount Washmore! Avoid at all costs....
I try to do the one load a day schedule, but I get busy and fall down on the job sometimes. Also, I have my boys do their own laundry. I feel that any child over the age of six is old enough to do their own, but that's just my opinion. My son Blake is an expert at the art of Japanese T-shirt Folding - you can find videos of it on YouTube.
How you organize the laundry collection and sorting can make a big difference. If you're seeing clothes on the floor very frequently, you may not have enough baskets or may not have them in the correct places. I keep a basket is everyone's closet including a triple-sort basket in our bedroom - similar to this one. One section is for darks, one for towels and sheet and one for lights. I love this because I can just grab a section of laundry and pop it into the washer without sorting.
Side note: Our washer leaks - a lot! There's something wrong with the connection that goes into the wall and the hose comes out a lot. We've probably had five or six leaks in the year or so since we've lived in this house. So, I finally made my husband go out and buy one of these. I'll tell you, it's the BEST $15 we've ever spent! When you consider how much damage even a small water leak can do, I don't think any home should be without a water alarm.
Anyway, back to laundry. We've got the laundry sorted and into the washer. The washing and drying parts are pretty easy because the machines do all the work. It's the folding and putting away that is the challenge. I'll let you in on a secret - I HATE to put laundry away. It's probably my least favorite chore after mopping the floors. So, rather than be a martyr and do a job I hate, I trade it off to someone else who doesn't mind it so much - in this case, my husband. He doesn't mind it, so I do all the other steps if he just does this one. Hey, it works for us.
As for the folding, I like to do it in front of the TV, 3 or 4 loads at a time. I get on the coach with baskets spread all around me and just dump it all on the couch. I use one basket for each person and an extra one for sheets and towels.
Have you ever timed how long it takes to fold a load of laundry? You'd probably be surprised. I can fold a load in 3 to 5 minutes unless it's something like socks or dressy clothes that need to go on hangers. My philosophy is that if something takes less than 5 minutes to do, it's just not worth fussing about. Same thing with putting away. We spend more time dreading the task than it actually takes to do. Just do it and then treat yourself to a cookie or something for a reward.
Other bright ideas - keep a bag or box in your laundry room for give away or out of season items. Then as your kids outgrow their clothes, you can transition them to charity or to off-season storage.
Tide to Go Pens are the greatest invention known to man. Get a bunch of them and keep them around the house - in your purse, closet, bathroom, etc. for instant stain treatments.
Keep a delicates bag handy for bras and other delicate items and I post large notes on the dryer so my kids don't ever put them in the dryer. I also have a wardrobe rack to hang up sweaters or other items that are too delicate for the dryer.
I got this idea from MeckMom - put in a couple of hooks, either in your bathroom or laundry room for kids to hang up their wet bathing suits and towels. I don't know how many times I've found a nasty wet suit lying around somewhere - ugh!
The first thing you need to look at is the room itself. If your laundry room is clean and attractive, you're going to dread going out there. Take a few minutes and look around to see what you can do to make it more comfortable, efficient, and attractive. If it's out in the garage, can you add some rugs so you don't have to walk over the cold concrete? Do you need some shelves to store your soap and other laundry supplies in a more convenient spot? Maybe a table or a counter to fold the laundry? Maybe you could add an under the cabinet radio or a small TV to entertain you while you are folding laundry. Use your imagination.
Maybe the solution is as simple as a coat of fresh paint, and some pretty pictures on the wall. I know you're thinking it's just a laundry room and you'll probably be the only one to see it, but you're just as important as anyone else, aren't you? Have fun with it. You could decorate it in frogs, or chickens, or whatever you like best. You're probably going to be spending more time in there than anyone else, so let it be a fun place for you to go.
Next you need to look at your laundry routine. You'll need to adjust this to suit the size of your family and your schedule. Some women prefer to do one or more loads a day, while others like to dedicate an entire day and get it all out of the way at once. Either one works as long as you keep some kind of regular schedule. What doesn't work is ignoring it until every laundry basket in the house is overflowing. That's what Flylady calls Mount Washmore! Avoid at all costs....
I try to do the one load a day schedule, but I get busy and fall down on the job sometimes. Also, I have my boys do their own laundry. I feel that any child over the age of six is old enough to do their own, but that's just my opinion. My son Blake is an expert at the art of Japanese T-shirt Folding - you can find videos of it on YouTube.
How you organize the laundry collection and sorting can make a big difference. If you're seeing clothes on the floor very frequently, you may not have enough baskets or may not have them in the correct places. I keep a basket is everyone's closet including a triple-sort basket in our bedroom - similar to this one. One section is for darks, one for towels and sheet and one for lights. I love this because I can just grab a section of laundry and pop it into the washer without sorting.
Side note: Our washer leaks - a lot! There's something wrong with the connection that goes into the wall and the hose comes out a lot. We've probably had five or six leaks in the year or so since we've lived in this house. So, I finally made my husband go out and buy one of these. I'll tell you, it's the BEST $15 we've ever spent! When you consider how much damage even a small water leak can do, I don't think any home should be without a water alarm.
Anyway, back to laundry. We've got the laundry sorted and into the washer. The washing and drying parts are pretty easy because the machines do all the work. It's the folding and putting away that is the challenge. I'll let you in on a secret - I HATE to put laundry away. It's probably my least favorite chore after mopping the floors. So, rather than be a martyr and do a job I hate, I trade it off to someone else who doesn't mind it so much - in this case, my husband. He doesn't mind it, so I do all the other steps if he just does this one. Hey, it works for us.
As for the folding, I like to do it in front of the TV, 3 or 4 loads at a time. I get on the coach with baskets spread all around me and just dump it all on the couch. I use one basket for each person and an extra one for sheets and towels.
Have you ever timed how long it takes to fold a load of laundry? You'd probably be surprised. I can fold a load in 3 to 5 minutes unless it's something like socks or dressy clothes that need to go on hangers. My philosophy is that if something takes less than 5 minutes to do, it's just not worth fussing about. Same thing with putting away. We spend more time dreading the task than it actually takes to do. Just do it and then treat yourself to a cookie or something for a reward.
Other bright ideas - keep a bag or box in your laundry room for give away or out of season items. Then as your kids outgrow their clothes, you can transition them to charity or to off-season storage.
Tide to Go Pens are the greatest invention known to man. Get a bunch of them and keep them around the house - in your purse, closet, bathroom, etc. for instant stain treatments.
Keep a delicates bag handy for bras and other delicate items and I post large notes on the dryer so my kids don't ever put them in the dryer. I also have a wardrobe rack to hang up sweaters or other items that are too delicate for the dryer.
I got this idea from MeckMom - put in a couple of hooks, either in your bathroom or laundry room for kids to hang up their wet bathing suits and towels. I don't know how many times I've found a nasty wet suit lying around somewhere - ugh!
1/4/09
New Year's Resolutions Part II
As a follow-up to yesterday's post about engineering your life to support your new habits (or breaking old ones), I had a thought. I was thinking about one of the really brilliant ideas I'd heard of and thinking how it could be incorporated into your change mechanism.
Here is the brilliant idea - (and if you're the parent to a teenager, you're welcome!) One way to get your teenager to observe their night time curfew is to set an alarm clock for their curfew time. Then you can go to bed or go about enjoying your evening. If said teenager arrives home before the curfew time, they get to shut off the alarm clock. If they don't get there in time to turn off the alarm, they are automatically on restriction. The only drawback is that they might pay off their brother or sister to turn off the alarm for them, but of course, if they get caught doing that, they would also be on restriction and maybe be in a little more trouble besides...
Now, how could you incorporate this strategy into supporting your new habit? If your habit was to clean up the kitchen every night before bed, I would set an alarm for your normal bedtime. If you do the dishes, you get to turn off the alarm and go to bed. If you don't do the dishes, then you have to stay up late to finish them. Works the same with laundry or any other chore. It also gets you to go to bed on time - a twofer!
Here's another idea for you. I have a terrible memory - really! I have so many things going on in my life, I have a hard time remembering things from one minute to the next. I don't know how many times I have been at work and thought about something I needed to do on my way to the bathroom. Three minutes later when I'm back at my desk, I've forgotten it completely - sheesh! So I checked out a book from the library on improving your memory by a famous memory guy. You'll laugh, but I've forgotten his name. Kevin something or other.
One of the things he tells you to do in this book is to use funny pictures to jog your memory. For instance, to remember the Seven Dwarves, you picture them around your house doing funny things. For instance, Gumpy is in your kitchen, scowling into his coffee. Doc is peeking into your medicine cabinet. Sleepy is taking a nap on your couch, Bashful is hiding in your closet, Happy is watching a funny movie in your den, Sneezy is refilling your pepper shaker, & Dopey is standing in the mop bucket in the middle of your kitchen floor. See how easy that is?
When the idea for this post came to me, I was just drifting off to sleep and I didn't want to forget it. So I decided to tie the idea to something I knew I would see in the morning. Since this is a post about clever ideas, I wanted to think of something clever. This is my cat Buster. He's very clever. He likes to play hide and seek with us when we are trying to pick him up and he likes to slither into cupboards and try to open doors with his paws. So I decided to attach the idea to him.
However, I was afraid I would see him, remember the word clever, but forget what the clever idea was. So I took it a step further. See that collar around his neck? It has a bell on it, so I decided to replace the bell with the image of an alarm clock. Then I would remember the whole idea. Sure enough when I sat down to my computer this morning, Buster wandered over to investigate and I instantly remembered the information for this post.
Oh and and the other memory tip - you aren't supposed to say that you have a bad memory. It reinforces the thought that you have a bad memory. Whoops! I forgot!
So, how can you use this memory tip to help you keep your New Year's Resolutions? Well, let's say that your resolution is to start your daily routine with three tasks - make the bed, do a 15 minute tidy up, and start a load of laundry. To remember this, could you form a picture of making the bed and tripping over a laundry basket filled with timers all set to 15 minutes? Bet that would help you to remember what you need to do. Oh and don't forget to set that alarm clock too!
Here is the brilliant idea - (and if you're the parent to a teenager, you're welcome!) One way to get your teenager to observe their night time curfew is to set an alarm clock for their curfew time. Then you can go to bed or go about enjoying your evening. If said teenager arrives home before the curfew time, they get to shut off the alarm clock. If they don't get there in time to turn off the alarm, they are automatically on restriction. The only drawback is that they might pay off their brother or sister to turn off the alarm for them, but of course, if they get caught doing that, they would also be on restriction and maybe be in a little more trouble besides...
Now, how could you incorporate this strategy into supporting your new habit? If your habit was to clean up the kitchen every night before bed, I would set an alarm for your normal bedtime. If you do the dishes, you get to turn off the alarm and go to bed. If you don't do the dishes, then you have to stay up late to finish them. Works the same with laundry or any other chore. It also gets you to go to bed on time - a twofer!
Here's another idea for you. I have a terrible memory - really! I have so many things going on in my life, I have a hard time remembering things from one minute to the next. I don't know how many times I have been at work and thought about something I needed to do on my way to the bathroom. Three minutes later when I'm back at my desk, I've forgotten it completely - sheesh! So I checked out a book from the library on improving your memory by a famous memory guy. You'll laugh, but I've forgotten his name. Kevin something or other.
One of the things he tells you to do in this book is to use funny pictures to jog your memory. For instance, to remember the Seven Dwarves, you picture them around your house doing funny things. For instance, Gumpy is in your kitchen, scowling into his coffee. Doc is peeking into your medicine cabinet. Sleepy is taking a nap on your couch, Bashful is hiding in your closet, Happy is watching a funny movie in your den, Sneezy is refilling your pepper shaker, & Dopey is standing in the mop bucket in the middle of your kitchen floor. See how easy that is?
When the idea for this post came to me, I was just drifting off to sleep and I didn't want to forget it. So I decided to tie the idea to something I knew I would see in the morning. Since this is a post about clever ideas, I wanted to think of something clever. This is my cat Buster. He's very clever. He likes to play hide and seek with us when we are trying to pick him up and he likes to slither into cupboards and try to open doors with his paws. So I decided to attach the idea to him.
However, I was afraid I would see him, remember the word clever, but forget what the clever idea was. So I took it a step further. See that collar around his neck? It has a bell on it, so I decided to replace the bell with the image of an alarm clock. Then I would remember the whole idea. Sure enough when I sat down to my computer this morning, Buster wandered over to investigate and I instantly remembered the information for this post.
Oh and and the other memory tip - you aren't supposed to say that you have a bad memory. It reinforces the thought that you have a bad memory. Whoops! I forgot!
So, how can you use this memory tip to help you keep your New Year's Resolutions? Well, let's say that your resolution is to start your daily routine with three tasks - make the bed, do a 15 minute tidy up, and start a load of laundry. To remember this, could you form a picture of making the bed and tripping over a laundry basket filled with timers all set to 15 minutes? Bet that would help you to remember what you need to do. Oh and don't forget to set that alarm clock too!
1/2/09
A Little Help for your New Year's Resolutions
I've been scouring the Internet for good tips to help you with your New Year's resolutions and I thik I've found a really great one. This post from Zen Habits is a couple of years old, but it had such good information, I just had to share it with you.
Controlling my habits is probably the biggest challenge I've ever had to deal with, both breaking bad habits and creating good ones. And I'm not alone. I read somewhere that something like 90% of heart attack patients can't change their habits, even when it might cost them their lives. No wonder we struggle so when we make our little resolutions to lose weight, clean up our houses, and stop abusing our charge cards.
So, what's a girl to do? Well, actually this article has some excellent suggestions for building up your habits in a very deliberate way that will make your changes stick. It's called Engineering Your Life and if you do it properly, you will make it almost impossible for yourself to fail.
One technique that I have used is very similar to the ideas shown in the article. I am perpetually late for work, mainly because I like to dawdle in the shower. That's where I do my best thinking and it's not unusual for me to be in there for half an hour or more, which always makes me late for work. So I set up a plan with my youngest son Blake. When I go to get into the shower, I set out a load of laundry along with a timer set to 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, he goes down to start the washer. I'll tell you, that gets me out of the shower extra quick, when that water turns cold as ice! Plus I get a good start on a load of laundry for the day.
Click HERE to read the article.
Controlling my habits is probably the biggest challenge I've ever had to deal with, both breaking bad habits and creating good ones. And I'm not alone. I read somewhere that something like 90% of heart attack patients can't change their habits, even when it might cost them their lives. No wonder we struggle so when we make our little resolutions to lose weight, clean up our houses, and stop abusing our charge cards.
So, what's a girl to do? Well, actually this article has some excellent suggestions for building up your habits in a very deliberate way that will make your changes stick. It's called Engineering Your Life and if you do it properly, you will make it almost impossible for yourself to fail.
One technique that I have used is very similar to the ideas shown in the article. I am perpetually late for work, mainly because I like to dawdle in the shower. That's where I do my best thinking and it's not unusual for me to be in there for half an hour or more, which always makes me late for work. So I set up a plan with my youngest son Blake. When I go to get into the shower, I set out a load of laundry along with a timer set to 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, he goes down to start the washer. I'll tell you, that gets me out of the shower extra quick, when that water turns cold as ice! Plus I get a good start on a load of laundry for the day.
Click HERE to read the article.
1/1/09
Party was a great success!
Well, our New Year's Eve party last night was a great success! The house looked wonderful and even though I had worked until about 4:30, with a little help from my family, we had the food all prepared, the tables set up, and the plates and glasses all ready in record time. I even had time to sit down and read a magazine for a while before the party started.
We had about a dozen people and even though we had a couple of "oops" moments - one of my dishes leaked all over the oven and stank up the kitchen, and I totally forgot to fix my signature Red Beans and Rice, other than that, everything really went off quite well and we all had a fabulous time, including the kids who got to stay up until midnight playing the Wii and eating everything in sight.
It's such a shame when we deny ourselves and our family such a fun time with dear friends because our house isn't fit for company. Let's work on that in 2009.
We had about a dozen people and even though we had a couple of "oops" moments - one of my dishes leaked all over the oven and stank up the kitchen, and I totally forgot to fix my signature Red Beans and Rice, other than that, everything really went off quite well and we all had a fabulous time, including the kids who got to stay up until midnight playing the Wii and eating everything in sight.
It's such a shame when we deny ourselves and our family such a fun time with dear friends because our house isn't fit for company. Let's work on that in 2009.
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