This weekend started our Advent calendar. I gathered 24 books and wrapped them... now, before you think me superbly organized, I should note that I received an email at work about a local bookstore that was having financial issues and needed people to stop and shop! Our small town really needs a bookstore - there aren't any within a hour's drive. However, we're also a community that has been hard hit by economic difficulties. After receiving the email, I ran down before picking up the kids and purchased the books. They were all used bargains, so it was a win-win on both sides.

It took me over an hour to wrap them all... eesh. But it was well worth it! The kids both love to read stories and are very excited by the idea that they each get to open a present every other day. Book number 23 was even one that Lala had heard at school, so she was able to "read" it to us with almost no prompting! She is going to be a voracious reader, I can tell.

With the tree, the advent presents and the stockings hung on the mantel it's looking pretty Christmasy. And that's probably all we'll get done during the week. On the weekends, we may get around to making some ornaments or cookies. Then again, we may not. We have what we need to do it (yay organization and planning ahead!), but I didn't purchase anything special or that won't be used if we don't use it.

After reading "The Secret to Staying Organized and Sane During the Busy Holiday Season", I've decided that most of those lovely ideas I've found on Pinterest, can stay on Pinterest. I'd rather enjoy our holiday time. 

What's for Dinner?

Google "meal planning" and you will get 34 million hits. 34 million! To me, this is the height of organization. I mean, your house can be uncluttered, order holiday stuff in July and make it on time to all your appointments. However, if you can do all that and know exactly what you are going to eat, have it be something healthy and have all the ingredients on hand... wow. Just wow.

I actually read one site describing their meal planning site, including keeping an updated spreadsheet listing everything in the pantry. That boggles my mind.

With everything we have to do as a family - working, gymnastics, classes and community events - meal planning falls to the wayside. (Forget about running a spreadsheet to track pantry items.) This also means that I'm having to leave work early to stop by the store or taking the kids with me to the store (horrifying!) or putting together a meal consisting of mac and cheese with canned peas. It's got a vegetable, right? Either way, it is not the wonderful, relaxing and healthy meal I envision making every afternoon.

Unclutterer has printable to help fully plan out your week's meals - including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. That might be a bit more than I need. Our breakfasts consist of cereal during the week, but planning out lunches too might mean I actually remember to take one to school!

This week, I tried to plan out meals for the week. It was going to be especially busy with a huge community event, school conferences and cleaning up from Halloween all on the to do list. This was my plan...

• Monday - Chicken breasts with salad.Burritos from the freezer. Something was going...
• Tuesday - Mac-n-cheese with hotdogs We had the dinner that was planned for Wednesday, because I was going to be gone at work and this babysitter could reasonably handle cooking.
• Wednesday - spaghetti and meatballs Again, working at night and we had a community event fundraiser at a local pizza joint, so they ate pizza. Really, I see it as a win - dinner and charity.
• Thursday - Pork chops and green beans I had planned on being home to cook dinner, until I found out that I had a meeting @ church. Instead we had the mac-n-cheese with hotdogs.
• Friday - Goulash. It's possible that I could actually make this meal! Then again, we might have another community event to attend. 

 While I didn't end up cooking anything when I was supposed to, but I'm not sure I'd call it a total failure. I did not have to stop at the store to pick anything up any time this week and while not haute cuisine, every meal did have something from the protein and vegetable category, as well as whole grains. (except the pizza) In fact, I think I'd call it a win. The whole point of being organized is to carry less stress. Even though it was a super busy week and I barely saw my children, I wasn't stressed out wondering what I could scrounge up up for them to eat.

Why I Love Being Organized

 

I have a "love, but lazy" relationship with organization. On the one hand, I love seeing everything neatly organized, all in their places of place, looking like something out of a magazine. I am endless fascinated by the process or placing things in order and how people do it. Now, you may be saying to yourself one of two things - either "wow! Is this chick boring or what?! She reads organization books for fun?" or if you know in real life "wow! Is this chick full of crap or what?! I should post a photo of the piles on her desk!" (which I am famous for, FWIW)  OR you may be saying "wow! A kindred soul!"

 

The secret I hold in my heart of hearts is that the reason I find in all so fascinating is two part. One, I have NO idea how to be organized. None. Have a plan? That you repeat? But what about things that have to be done immediately? What about something that catches your eye that you forgot to finish yesterday? Because something else caught your eye... How do you organize a kitchen so that space is usable for what you need to do? Or a linen closet? Or a child's room? And for Pete's sake, how do you all get your kids to put everything back into it's appropriate labeled box? This is something that I cannot seem to figure out and I am envious of those who do seem to have it figured out.

The second reason is anxiety. If something is out of whack, missing or not working on time, my mind goes a little running to the worst possible outcome. Can't find an important piece of paper? Homelessness. Can't find my car keys? Fired, never to be gainfully employed again. If it sounds crazy, it's because it is! However, if the keys are where they should be and paperwork is filed, life continues on at a happy little clip. Is that what everyone wants? A happy little clip?

To me, the organization of my house reflects my life. The more smooth it appears in the arrangement of things, the more smooth it is in the arrangement of activities and relationships. As I go along in this process, I'm learning a lot about myself and about life. Who knew the mysteries of life could be found in an organized spice rack.

 

 



The Dreaded Plauge



Now that fall has really arrived, you know it's going to happen... like the dreaded plague sweeping through Europe, some icky virus will sweep through the schools, after school activities or work. Mowing everyone in your family down, like a blade of grass in July.  Of course, we've just finished our first round. The Cuddler got it first, then Lala and finally to me. Guess who took 48 hours to fully recover?

When you are huddled on the couch, or cleaning up after a sick child, you do not want to be thinking about what is for dinner or whether you've got some more medication in the cabinet. Luckily, this summer I snagged some medical bargains for yours truly and was prepared for my own demise.

Today, I also found this article on I'm an Organization Junkie, all about preparing the family for cold and flu season. Although, I currently have almost everything on the list, there are a couple items missing and it's not all organized in one area. The last thing I will want to be doing with a sick child crying in bed, is searching the house for the last place I remember putting the thermometer.

There's also a couple of things a single parent should add to their list organizing for the ickies.

1. Back up person. When you get that dreaded guess who just vomited in class call from your child's teacher, it is always at the most inopportune time. I'm pretty sure it's an incontrovertible law of the universe. They will also fall ill the of the day you most need to be at work. Having a back up person can save your life or possibly your job. You may never need this person - I have only ever had to use mine once in four years - but knowing that option is available just makes your life a little less stressful. Pick someone who is a stay at home and offer to bring them dinner when picking the child up... who can resist a stress free dinner?
2. Always have peanut butter, jelly and bread in your house. Even a four year old can make themselves a PB&J sammy (and think they are pretty darn cool for doing so), thus saving super sick mom from having to make a dinner. One somewhat crappy dinner is not going to kill them. And it is probably healthier that the Ha**y Meal I bought last Sunday.
3. Be germ phobic. Lead kids by example and wash your hands constantly for longer than you think is necessary. Exaggerate holding up your elbow to cover coughs and really, really enjoy those healthy foods. Back in the dinosaur days, someone told me that if you want someone to copy what you do, you have to perform that action twice as much as you want the copier to do. Exaggerate what you do and your little germ factory children will follow that example enough to keep you healthy. And maybe them.



48 Days to Organization

I have been busy getting organized. Really, I have.

The first weekend, I tackled my junk cupboard. Some people have junk drawers (which I also have), but I have a junk cupboard. It's the junk cupboard, because my plan for several years has been to take it down. Remove it from my kitchen. However, this is a task I find extremely daunting for some reason. Otherwise, it would be gone after seven years, right? But having that space empty proved to be too tempting... for the stuff that didn't really have a permanent home, that needed to be put out of the reach of children, and that I didn't have time to put back into the far reaches of some other storage place.

In case you're wondering, yes... those are insta-bibs in the corner. Not that anyone has actually worn a bib in over a year and half.  Suffice it to say that the cupboard hadn't been organized in a long time.

I pulled everything out, tossed what I didn't need. I gave away the bibs and the kids place mats. Returned the lawn fertilizer, paint and lighter fluid to the garage and basically got ride of everything wasn't needed in the kitchen. It was night time by the time I finished - between feed kids, refereeing fights and laundry, it took all day.



And that is why I'm working so hard to get organized. All day for two shelves? Crazy!

Meanwhile, I've been trying to work through piles of paper, mountains of laundry and the explosion of toys before the holiday season arrives to bring in all new stuff. So far, I've given away two garbage bags full of clothing and plan to drop off another four today. I wish I could be organized enough to sell everything online, but at this point, I just need to get rid of it. Plus, there is a little good feeling in knowing that those unwanted items are going to help someone else.

Next on the list is the 'toy-splosion'. I feel a little sick about posting photos of the kids rooms online... but I've seen other kid rooms, so I know that I'm not the only one who runs to shut doors when company comes over unannounced.

Linen Closet

As promised… my organized and clutter-free linen closet. Minus about 20 pillow cases. I swear they were multiplying in the dark!

 

Calendar

Anxiety is a normal part of my life - seriously. I'm juggling a lot of balls these days and as time goes on, I know that will only increase as the kids get more into activities and school. Two kids, meals, grocery shopping (if I can't keep milk in the house when the cuddler is 2, what am I going to do when he hits 13?), a job where I asked daily to take more and more on (who isn't these days?), while simultaneously remembering every appointment, class and the never ending to-do list. Some days I don’t stop until I collapse on the couch after getting the kids to sleep.

When I worked as a nanny, I had a boss who literally was a SuperMom - it was a sweet job - and managed to make it look easy. She grocery shopped, she was a partner for a major accounting firm and still managed to be a classroom mom and attend all the games for three boys who played all four seasons. She lived and died by her day planner. She took it everywhere and kept everything in it; insurance cards, notes, stationary, coupons, train tickets... somehow it worked. That’s what I aspire to… but without having a nanny.

To keep track of everything, I've tried paper calendars - really cutes ones, small ones to carry around, huge ones to hang on the wall, even a FlyLady Calendar, with stickers. I’ve tried daily to-do sheets, organizers, and everything in between. None really worked for me. I would write something down on a piece of paper or on another calendar at my office and forget about it at home... and miss it completely. Or get caught up in one thing, and forgetting to stop by the grocery store to pick up milk. I am famous for completely forgetting appointments or to bring something I was responsible for.

A few weeks ago I got a new smart phone and one of the features was Goo*gl@ Calendar. Although I've attempted to use that feature before it's one problem was, again, the mobility. No computer, no access, eventually abandoned. But now that I can use it on my phone, it's mobile! Cue choirs of angels.

I can instantly type in an appointment, reminder, to-do item and it's stored on-line. Since I'm not allowed to use my phone at my job, I can still access the calendar on my computer and keep up with what I need to do. If I wanted, I could print it out and tape it to the wall. (not going to, but it's an option). I can make notes on the reminder, like when I special instructions for Lala's medical appointments. And I can set it to give me a reminder alarm, so that when I forget an appointment (Monday's doctor appointment), I can get a reminder and run out the door. Ha! As much as I like to have a piece of paper to cross things off as they are done (so satisfying), so far this is working much better for us.

Organization is the only I'm going to get through the next 18 years with some semblance of sanity.

Check it off the list

The weather held. I prayed all afternoon that it wouldn't rain and for once it didn't. Sometimes living in a year round green environment gets annoying. One year, it rained for three months straight. EVERY DAY! By the time I could finally mow the lawn, I had to use a weed whacker first because it was too high for the lawn mower to take - and still wet at the base. Anyways, I'm relieved that my house no longer looks like it is inhabited by hill-billies.  Now I'm just waiting to tackle the moss... it's taking over the front yard. Part of me really wants to leave it. You don't ever have to mow moss.

Yesterday I also signed up to take the West-E Social Studies exam so that I can add a social studies endorsement on to my certificate. Sounds simple right? Take the test, pay the money... done deal.

Today I started delving into the study guide. Um... economics? it's been about 20 years since I've done that. Specific court cases? Not so much.. Brown v. Board of Education, sure... but the Boldt decision? I have a boat-load of studying to do (no pun intended.. fishing right - boats... get it?) So far, I've got an APUSH study guide to read and plan to get economics for dummies (highly recommended by those who've taken the test)... but I haven't a clue as to where to study the WA specific stuff that wasn't covered in my Washington state history courses.

And the kicker! I signed up to take the test on April 17th! So, guess what I'm doing for Spring Break? And just yesterday I was wondering what to do.

12 Months of Habit Building

It’s this time of year that everyone, whether they want to or not, reflects on the year passed. Some make resolutions to start anew, others decided to remain as they are. I’ve always been a part of the ‘start anew’ group. In fact, I have multiple calendar dates to start again – NYE, the 1st day of school, the last day of school… and so on.
This year, the latest crazy hitting the blogosphere is “101 in 1001 days”. Or maybe it’s not new, but rather hitting the blogs on my google reader. Either, it’s interesting reading. I created a list of my own and was even going to post it, until I realized that it is the same list I’ve had for the past five years. Posting it online probably won’t bring them to fruition any more than they have in the past five years. Honestly, my yearly goal for school is ALWAYS to keep up with grading and yet, EVERY year I somehow end up with stacks and stacks of papers. I’ve been ‘dieting’ since I was 12… and I still get the talk every time I see the doctor. Also, never run a marathon. And so on.
Instead what I need is a life style change. As a strict creature of habit, I need a change in habits. I am such a creature of habit, that some times I find myself in a middle of a task not realizing that when I began doing it, what I was doing before and… even more scary… if I did anything between those tasks. For the next 12 months, I’ll tackle a new habit each month to see if I can make a real change in my life style. If I hate it, it’s only 28 to 31 days. If it’s something I can really do, the month should make it into an ingrained habit for me. And it’s only one thing. Or rather, one personal habit and one professional habit. Everything else I can let slide… or at least not get in a sweat about.
For January, my habit is the basic evening and morning routines from FlyLady.net (see professional goal here). Starting January 1st to January 31st I’ll attempt to faithfully do both. Obviously, I would love to have a loverly, organized and clean house. Sadly, with two toddlers and a dog, I just don’t seem to be able to do that… but I’m hoping that I can keep the chaos at bay. And possibly not do the “please let there be a clean pair of underwear in the drawer” game every morning.

Evening Routine

• Pick up living room and put away things, magazines, dishes, clothes and shoes
• Kitchen – shine sink, lay out clean dish cloths and start dishwasher
• Clear hot spots in entrance and dining room
• check calendar for tomorrow’s appointments
• pack breakfasts and lunch
• put items I don’t want to forget into bag
• lay out clothes for tomorrow
• brush teeth, wash face and take vitamin
• go to bed at a decent time

Morning Routine

• make bed
• shower and clean shower while in there
• fix hair
• swish and swipe
• reboot laundry
• check calendar
• check dinner plan – thaw if needed

My hope is that by making this one small change, I’ll be able to have a little more organization in my life and perhaps make it run a little smoother.