Getting Ready...

We are getting prepared to take a well-deserved vacation. As always, a few weeks before we leave, I start a list of things to do, things to take, and any other notes that pertain to our trip. We have a list we use for camping and it is the same list every year. I have found that I like to create a new list when we actually get on a plane and travel. Every place is unique and I like to think about all the things we could use or need depending upon where we go. When we went to Alaska, we packed differently than when we went to Palm Springs. One thing I did think about (it was brilliant if you ask me!) was to make a note and take my own coffee. My husband and I have always splurged on the richest, darkest coffee for our espresso maker and it is really hard to find good coffee when you travel. Brilliant, I tell you! Nothing beats a small notepad, pencil, and your creative thoughts!

The Number One Rule...

People ask me all the time about how to get organized. My number one rule (quickly followed by number two) is find a place for everything. Number two is keep everything in its place. It is actually a bit more evolved than that but the basic principle is the same. Do you store your dry pasta in the bathroom just because you have more space? No, you find a place in the kitchen. Do you put postage stamps in the silverware drawer? Not unless you are mailing forks to your relatives. Think about things you have that are not finding a home. Then....wait for it...find them a home. If you don't have room, reconsider what you are actually holding on to. Chances are, if you don't have the space, you are keeping too much. Now, go read rule number one again!

Intentions and organization

One thing I have noticed that all my clients have in common is that they WANT to be organized, they have the intention of becoming organized, they just don't know where to start. It is kind of like wanting to get into shape but not knowing which exercise to start with. My advice? Just pick one. Any one thing. Doing one thing is much better than not doing anything. At least it sets your intentions into action. Deciding to get organized is much different than actually doing it. So, pick one thing -- keep all the dishes washed for one week, make your bed every day, recycle all the magazines that are 2 months or older. Just pick one thing. When you accomplish one thing it will motivate you to pick another. It really feels good!

Snow and the Worms

I never thought the worms would really make a big difference in our garbage, but let me tell you, when you have not had garbage picked up for THREE WEEKS, it is great to know that the worms have eaten all of the food scraps so there is no stinky garbage rotting in the garage. Not having garbage service because of the snow and ice really allowed me to analyze what we recycle and what we throw away. I am happy to say that we recycle at least 5 times the amount of garbage that we actually throw away. Our recycle bin is overflowing and I have a huge box filled to the brim with more recycled items. Maybe the goal of one garbage can per month is doable!

Always Be Prepared...Party Time!

What else are you going to do when you are snowed in on a hill in a FREAKISH snowstorm? Turn your SUV into a bar, of course! We had nothing better to do so we invited our neighbors over for a Bloody Mary party last week at two in the afternoon. We set up bar and everyone brought something to contribute. In the end, we had probably a dozen or so neighbors gathered in our cold, slippery driveway. The camping chair you see there ended up being buried by more snowfall that very night. We found it 4 days later when the snow began to collapse under all the ice. Nice.

If there is an organizing moral to this story, it is this: be prepared to be trapped for a week. Get to know your neighbors. Not only did we all share in this makeshift bar, we traded maple syrup, brown sugar and cookies galore for two solid weeks. We are truly blessed! Now, go meet a new neighbor...you never know when you will be looking for a jar of pickled green beans...

Pick a Tolerance, Any Tolerance...

My challenge for you today is to pick a tolerance and fix it. Squeaky garage door? Oil it. Lightbulb burned out? Change it. (With a LED one, of course.) Just pick something and take care of it. You will feel so much better! It is all part of organizing yourself. When you don't have to think about the thing that needs to be fixed or changed, you can actually use that brain power for something else, like putting things in their places -- the number one rule of organizing!

On a different note, my 7 year old daughter moved out on Sunday. Just to the front porch. She wasn't mad and wasn't trying to run away, she just wanted her own pad. When I went to check on her she had her clothes laying out on the azalea bushes. I asked that she bring those in when it started to rain and she informed me that that is how she washes her clothes. Sigh...yes, I am off to do another load of laundry...

Updates...

Well, I haven't really come up with anything dramatically life changing but I did come up with 3 things I can do that is a bit different than what I have been doing: turn down the thermostat 2 degrees, attempt to only fill one garbage can a month, and keep my worm friends happy. The last one is pretty easy since all I do is toss in food. A dog might be easier but would be actually messier. The worms don't demand to be let out (they can't lift the lid themselves -- yet), they never complain about what is for dinner (unlike my children), and their poop is actually useful (again, unlike my children). So far there is no smell but it does seem to take a long time for them to break down the food. I am sure I saw last month's onion root still in there -- maybe those were new wormies...

As for the temperature in the house, 2 degrees may not seem like much but you can sure feel it. I'm surprised the kids haven't complained. I seem to be the only one doing that...sigh...I'm off to get ANOTHER sweatshirt on...

The trash thing has me worried, though. I may have started too late this month to attempt to get it down to just one can. The clumping cat litter alone may take up an entire can. I wish I could get the cat to go in the worm bin... I'll update tomorrow with a picture of Will the Worm, Wilma the Worm, etc., etc., etc.