Project: Simplify -- Week Four -- Pantry and Refrigerator

This one will be a bit easier to handle, as I've already been purging a bit every day for the last few weeks. My offspring and I are on a "Candida Diet" (well, I am more strictly than she is, but she's doing an awesome job!), which means no sugar (of any kind at this beginning point, we'll be able to add back honey and other unrefined sweeteners later) or yeast. Do you know how hard that is? There is sugar in EVERYTHING!!! This is seriously harder than I thought. I'm not having the sugar cravings like I did at first (we didn't eat a lot of sweets before, so the cravings really didn't last long at all), but nearly every food that I didn't make from scratch has sugar listed in the ingredients. Yeast is a little bit easier to predict (think: breads), but it sneaks in the ingredient list more often than I anticipated, as well.

The point of me sharing this, is that I very recently removed a lot of things from our freezers and pantry. We look temptation in the face in my own kitchen? I do the cooking around here, so it's really not a problem to suit the cupboards to fit my needs. I have moved most items that we cannot eat right now, either out of the house entirely (garbage) or onto an inconvenient shelf.

I have found some lovely quick bread recipes and even ventured into making my own sourdough starter! I omitted the cup of brown sugar the aussie bites recipe called for, but did keep in the 1/2 cup of honey. I figured that would be dispersed enough between the 5 dozen bites we made. Plus, it was our turn to make them for the kindergarten homeschool group and I didn't want to force them all onto our diet. I thought they were delicious--just a touch of sweetness, plus oats, sunflower seeds, flax, dried figs (natural sugar), wolfberries (more natural sugar),... YUM!

So, I have until the end of the week to finish my organizing of this project. I will post pictures later, maybe even on time! But, I do have class all weekend, so... maybe not.

Project: Simplify -- Week Three -- Kids Clothes and Toys

I am really showing off my procrastination skills with this project... REALLY. Not meaning to. We're in the middle of another round of being woken up every. single. night. by a little person who comes crawling into our bed from a bad dream, a full bladder, just waking up, something undertermined,... and likes to snuggle up right next to me and proceed to elbow me in the face or knee me in the back until the alarm goes off and it's time to get up and go to work. So, I'm tired. I'm really tired. And, I'm spending my time on the things I have to get done before the morning comes, rather than these fun little projects!

I am still working on J's closet (slowly and sneakily, though he did willingly hand over a stack of older-than-us t-shirts--score!). And, the boxes of paper are still waiting for me next to the new DVR that I am having way too much fun with...

Week Three was actually last week. Oops, again. The thing about the project is, I go through Anastasia's clothes on a fairly regular basis and always find something to donate or pass along to a cousin or friend. So, I'm not really feeling the need to do that. I have, in the last few months, come up with a system that allows her to pick out her own clothes for school without my having to really get involved and make trades in the middle of the night. We still have her changing table/dresser in her closet and the dresser that is part of her bedroom set is out in the bedroom. The dresser in the room contains clothes that she can wear to school, i.e. no logos, sparkly distracting things, etc. This requires a bit of help on my part when it is time to fold clothes and put things away, but it definitely helps in that she can pull anything out and have an outfit that will meet the dress code. Weekend clothes go in the closet dresser, i.e. logos (particularly those of a certain Kitty that all the little girls seem to love), sports teams (Go Bears!), sparkly flashy stuff, clothes with writing on it, etc. If you ever have to battle your child when it comes time to get dressed for school, I would highly recommend trying this system--I love it!

Now, the toys part of this project... Well, that is a different animal. I can't exactly go in and just do that myself... Or, can I?! There are many things that I haven't seen in quite a while, and she hasn't either, and I'm wondering if I remove those things from her room, if she'll ever even notice they're gone? Have you ever done this before? I have with one thing at a time, but this could very well be the entire closet floor, or the entire contents of the toy chest that she recently forgot even existed. Hmm... Thinking about it. Because, otherwise, this will require working with an exhausted girl (see note on our recent sleeping troubles above) to say goodbye to toys... She has her favorite things she likes to do, and is it really necessary to hold on to things that she only plays with when I say it is time to give the things away?

Project: Simplify -- Week Two -- Paper Clutter

Okay, it is actually the end of week two as I'm posting this. Oops. I have a good start on it though. This week is tackling paper clutter. YAY! My least favorite thing, yet the thing I have the most of. Huh. Interesting.

Well, my mother-in-law is on board with this one, which is cool. So, we're trying to motivate each other by checking in and saying "Good for you!" I haven't actually gotten further than rounding up all of my paper clutter (it took a while, and a few boxes) at this point. But, the boxes are all sitting by the TV, ready for me to have a moment to veg-out. I am learning a new story to tell my kindergarteners this week, so that moment hasn't arrived yet. But, I hope to be ready in the next couple of days. Perhaps the week three project will be one I already have a handle on, so I can spend the time finishing weeks one and two (she says with a big grin on her face, knowing the odds of that are slim to none). Stranger things have happened!

Here is what is waiting for me:

What you don't see are the Recycle and Take Action boxes that I will be using one of to toss each piece of paper into. What you do see are all the pieces of paper that I will be making decisions about... That's quite a few boxes. I have to be honest. Two of them are filled with papers I took when I moved out of my old classroom last school year... It's just been hard to go through them for some reason. But, here I go!

Project: Simplify -- Week One -- Wardrobe and Closet

Don't you? I am always looking around and thinking How did we end up with so much crap stuff?... So, I was thrilled to find a declutter-a-long has just begun with one of my favorite blogs: Simple Mom.

Would you like to play along? Click on the picture above to go to the page that shows what we'll tackle each week. You really have to just commit to this, because you don't know what area will be tackled each week until the week arrives and the area is revealed... ooh... mysterious... I may or may not like that. We'll see.

Since this week has already begun, and the Hot Spot has been revealed, I can tell you that it is your wardrobe and closet. How funny that I actually just completed this task for Anastasia and I after being inspired to simplify. One family member's wardrobe is still in need of decluttering.... hee, hee, hee.... By the end of this week, Jason will either be pleasantly surprised, or digging through the "donate" boxes, looking for a shirt that is older than our relationship. If we're placing bets, my money is on the latter. But, I'm going to cross my fingers and hope for the best. I've actually been meaning to make him a memory quilt out of old (seriously, some of these shirts are literally hanging on by a thread) t-shirts of his. This is beginning to sound like the kick in the patutie that I needed to finally get that started.

Stay tuned for before and after photos!

Simplify.

At my new school, the kindergarten faculty has a curriculum specialist (what a novel and wonderful idea!) who helps to guide us with her 30+ years of waldorf experience. I have a hard time swallowing criticism (even when constructive), but am finding that after I've chewed on it for a few days it is much easier. And, I even end up liking the taste of my new skills/technique after I've implemented the suggestion. The best piece of advice she's given me all year, is this: simplify. Of course, she was referring to my classroom, but it totally inspired me and I have taken it to heart at home as well. It is helping me to find my rhythm at both work and home, and life is slowly but surely feeling a bit easier because of it.

How do you simplify?

This is what she said when referring to our classroom cabinets:
Pull everything out.
Only put back what is useful and beautiful.
Simplify! Simplify! Simplify!

So far at home, I have implemented this strategy to my clothes closet and dresser drawers. This resulted in two large garbage bags of clothes being donated to charity, and I can now see that there is a red wall on the back of my closet. Huh. It's kind of nice. I can actually see all of my clothes. I don't pass by five shirts because I don't ever really want to wear a single one of them. It feels orderly, without clutter and chaos. I love it!

Such a simple way to feel good. And, really, why would you want anything in your closet (or anywhere else in your home, for that matter) that wasn't useful and beautiful?

I immediately moved on to tackle Anastasia's closet and dresser, and it is easier for her to put her own clothes away now. I am itching to purge J's closet, but he's not ready to let me. In time... In time... Or, if the Bear's make it to the Superbowl and he somehow manages to go see the game without us... (Go Bears!) In the meantime, I am going to attempt the living and family rooms... Oh boy!

1/23/11 Edit: The Bears are not going to the Superbowl. But, I want you to know, it was not for lack of encouragement from our house!

Still getting the crap out, and trying out a new routine.

I am (at a snail's pace) continuing on my quest to rid my home of excess clutter after starting with the craft room. Today, V and Co. (my organizing hero) announced a little giveaway for $100 gift card... yeah, you should go check it out. You don't have to do anything special, just leave a comment. PLUS, you get to read about her brilliant keep-the-house-clean routine. Anyone who knows me in real life (e.g. married me and now has to live with this fact daily) knows that I hate cleaning. I'm not very good at it. Well, I just don't do it too often. Not a very good habit to instill in my child, so I shall turn a new page. Starting tomorrow, and totally plagerizing V and Co.'s routine, I will begin with "Organizing Thursday". View her post to see what each day of the week is geared toward and how she gets her kiddos to help (with or without complaining).

No link-ups, but a lot of great leads to other blogs in my last post. Keep 'em coming, and I will share my final decision(s) in another post or two. Thank you for your help.

Is your kid too much of an artist? (Link up, please!)

I don't really mean it like that. I love art. I love that my kid loves art. But... she produces a lot of art at school.... A LOT. And, I am her mother, so how can I possibly recycle ANY of it, let alone MOST of it?

While V & Co. was helping me clean out my craft room, I realized there were quite a bit of my kiddo's school creations in there.

What is a mother to do? Obviously, I can't keep it all.

I would love to hear your ideas of how to keep a select few in an ORGANIZED manner, that is also easy to add to (or make again, as the case may be) as we continue through the schoolyear.

Seriously, folks. If you have a post on your blog that relates to storing/sharing your kiddo's artwork,  will you please share that specific blog post URL(s) here? Or, if you've been inspired by a post on another blog, will you leave a comment with that blog's URL or ask that blogger to link up? I will write up a nice post about the blog(s) that inspire me! Thanks in advance for your help.

*This is my first linky widget, so please give me a moment to figure it out, if it's not working...

While the mice are away, the cat will get organized.

Slowly, but surely.... Once I got going, there was no stopping me. Yesterday afternoon and this morning, I had a bit of child-free time to work on the grand mess I call a craft room. I pulled EVERYTHING out of there and then only brought back things that had a place to call home. I will confess, there is still a stack of papers that I need to sort through. Though I know most of it will be recycled, some are valid papers that need to be filed.

Remember the before (yikes!):

And here is what it looks like now:

See how there's a floor in there?... and a cat (relaxing on her tree)?... and a sewing area? I would still like to go through the cupboards and purge from there, but this was an excellent start.

Overwhelmed, but inspired to get the crap out of my house.

I like things to be organized. I get a great sense of accomplishment in labeling drawers and cabinets and having things put away. The problem is.... I'm not very good at it. Or, maybe I'm just not very motivated to get started. Or, maybe I'm just a really excellent piler, in that I have piles of things in the rooms of my home that I frequent--pile of clean clothes that is always on the end of my bed needing to be put away, but doesn't get put away until there are more clean clothes that won't fit on the end of the bed; the piles of paper (mail, things that need to be recycled, artwork from A's school, recipes that were made or need to be made) on the kitchen counter; piles of stuff that I am "working on" in the tv/computer room, which are often related to my job (presently, this consists of lesson plans from my old job that need to be filed or tossed and Waldorfy books that need to be read and songs that need to be learned for my new job) or the various sewing projects that I have going at the same time; not to be outdone by the giant mess in my craft room that contains all the contents of my old classroom, craft supplies that I "had" to have but have no where to live, fabric that is waiting to be sewn, articles of clothing that are waiting to be refashioned, seeds that need to be planted, a cat that is trying to find a place to sleep and eat amidst all of this...

That was embarrasing. But, now I am accountable to you because I am telling you that I am joining V & Co. and getting the crap out of my house.

 

Whew! I feel better just writing that down.

Stay tuned people. This is going to be big!

Spring Cleaning Week: Organizing Your Way

A friend of Simple Mom has written today's article. She says that there is no right way to organize. I kind of wish there was, because I am still (mostly unsuccessfuly, thus far) trying to find "my" way! The article gives ideas for different methods people use to organize certain areas in their home:

• Closets and Wardrobes
• Kitchen (I like her idea of having zones.)
• Books (I have my books grouped by general subjects: gardening, herbal medicine, medical reference, crafting, etc.)
• Paperwork (I will be reading the links contained in this section of the article much more thoroughly when I have more time!)

One part of the article really made me think: "take some time to really think through your family’s needs and come up with a system that works best for you". It was at this point that I realized, all the organizing I've attempted has really only been for myself. I've been organizing with myself in mind and expecting my family to just conform to what I decided was best... How rude of me! Maybe this is why so many of my methods have failed.... Huh. Now, I have more to ponder before I move forward with this.

Spring Cleaning Week: Bedrooms and Bathrooms

Today, Simple Mom addressess bedrooms and bathrooms. She talks about how these areas are often neglected, though bedrooms need to be a sacred respite (which is not even close to possible if you are the type to stash EVERYTHING in your bedroom--not me, but I know a few...). This has been another busy day, so I am just now reading the article. Here is how I have connected it to my own life.

Bathrooms: First, I do not keep my medicine in the bathroom, because moisture and medicine are not a good combination. It is kept on ONE shelf, high in my kitchen. I have a linen closet (which DESPERATELY needs to be decluttered... I'll add that to my "to do" list), so I don't store towels in the bathroom. I don't personally know anyone who store sheet sets in their bathroom, but I will be applying the store-the-sheets-in-one-of-the-pillowcases idea to my linen closet! I like the tying-sets-together-with-a-ribbon idea as well, but it seems like something Martha would do and is not so practical for me. Now that I am thinking about it, I am actually fairly clutter-free in my bathrooms... What's up with that?!! Still, I think I will go through the cupboards and just toss anything that I never use because I forgot it was in there.

The Kiddo's Bedroom: I do have Anastasia help me purge her room from time-to-time (particularly before and after holidays, because people spoil her way too much). We've done it enough that now she will just bring a toy to me every now and then and say, "Mom, I don't want this anymore. Let's give it to another kid who doesn't have toys." Not only is this great for helping to declutter, but it warms my heart and makes me feel like I'm doing my job in helping her realize what it means to be a good human being.

I cannot have her in the room when I am trying to find old clothes to remove from the rotation because she has a very strong attachment to certain clothing items, even if they don't fit her anymore. When I do have a moment to sneak out an item (that sounds bad, but you know what I mean...), I have a big gift bag waiting in another room that I toss it into. Once the bag gets full, I sort through it, pulling out items that I cannot bear to get rid of (these go into a size-labeled plastic storage tub in the garage, hopefully to be used by a future sibing) and keeping the rest in the bag, which I then take to work and hand-down to a colleague who has two girls. This system seems to work well for everyone involved!

We don't keep too many toys in her room, aside from dolls and books. There is a shelf for the books and a big wicker basket for the dolls. My sister made a dress-up chest that is in the room, too. Other than that, toys are stored in the living room.

I really like Simple Mom's idea of having kids be involved in deciding what is useful and beautiful in their room. I am going to have to try that, for sure. It sounds very empowering.

Master Bedroom: The only real "to do" item in this room is tackle my closet again. Though I did this for both the warm and cold seasons last year, I know there are still plenty of clothing items that I never wear, but are somehow difficult for me to just take out and get rid of. So, I will try again. If I know I haven't worn the article of clothing, I will put the item in a bag, out of site. If I haven't looked for anything in a month, the whole bag goes!

I have a recent experience with the involving-husband-in-decorating idea. The year we got married, I painted an abstract couple standing in an embrace. It is hanging above our bed. The colors of the painting no longer match our bedroom decor (...four residences later...) and the painting is smaller than what I would like to see in that space. So, the other day, I mentioned that I was thinking of painting something new to hang in that spot above our bed. This casual remark was quickly met with J asking me "Why?" and "But, where will this painting go?". Huh. In over ten years, I had no idea he had any sort of attachment to that painting.

Spring Cleaning Week: Non-Toxic Cleaning

I am a sucky housekeeper. I admit it. I do a much better job at keeping my grandmother's house clean, but she pays me to do it.... Hmm... I seem to need some tangible kind of motivation.

How about the smell of a clean house? I don't mean a fake pine forest smell, but a fresh, windows open kind of smell... How about not needing to get all gussied up in rubber gloves and a gas mask to get things clean?.. How about being able to let my eager-to-help four-year-old stick her hand into the cleaning bucket, without fear of her skin breaking out in a rash or her lungs burning from harsh chemicals?

Yeah... that should do it.

Simple Mom's list of the top non-toxic cleaning benefits fit the bill today. But, really, I already knew about that. She follows that list with another that tells you how to make the switch. This one includes a recipe for an all-purpose cleaner that you can customize with your favorite essential oils, and you know how much I love essential oils!

My task for today is to toss the few remaining cleaners I have that I never use. They're not toxic, but they are taking up valuable cabinet space. The one toxic cleaner I do still have is the toilet bowl cleaner. I don't want to name names, but it's bright blue liquid that you squirt around the bowl, then leave the room for 15 minutes before you brush and flush. Does anyone have a non-toxic toilet bowl cleaner idea?... Preferably, one that works. I would love to hear it!

Spring Cleaning Week: Public Spaces

Today's task is to look closely at the "public" spaces in your home: living room, kitchen, porch. The idea is to declutter (of course!) and make these spaces usable to all members of the household.

I need to run a few errands today, so I will do that, read the article, see what I can accomplish during the daylight hours, and then be back here with my report! Talk to you later...

11:59pm--Well, my day did not turn out as planned. Little one developed a fever of 103 while we were at our last store, after literally bouncing around the other errand locations... Weird. She seems to be sleeping it off now. Tylenol has worn off, but peppermint on her feet is still going strong. She seems to not be warming up again. Ah, I'll try to stop worrying (unlikely).

So, I did not have a chance to put today's article into practice, at all. I did, however, get some good ideas.

Living Room: I am doing better in this room than I realised. Items are pretty well contained. Toys are grouped in baskets and out of the way. Coasters and a coffee table are accessible for the entertaining of guests. It is definitely a kid-friendly area, but not much is available in terms of function for J or I. I used to have a knitting corner, but that has made way for storing kid puzzles. A tall cabinet houses a stereo that is only useful for AM radio (which J uses to listen to sporting events) and 3 shelves worth of knick knacks that I don't even look at any more. So, my task for this room will be to remove all of these knick knacks, put back only those I love, and utilize the freed shelving space for books I want to read or other things I could be enjoying while sports are being listened to and toys are being played with.

Kitchen: Items are stored as close to their useful areas as the layout of my kitchen allows. I need a better storage container for my cloth napkins, but I am already working on that. I live in a house full of grazers (myself included), so I like the idea of putting snack items on high shelves. For the most part, we have already done this (plus, I try to not even purchase snack items that are unhealthy); and, I have recently placed a bowl on the counter that is full of fruit and easily reached by little hands--if a snack is requested, I say, "Sure, get a piece of fruit."--which seems to be working out well so far. I know I have a lot of gadgets and dishes that are tucked in the back/top of cabinets that I never use/have forgotten I own. So, my task for this room will be to empty all the cupboards (yikes!) and only put back what I use. Seasonal items (cookie cutters, etc.) can be stored in my seasonal decor bins that live in the garage. Simple Mom says, "Keep counters as clear as possible..."... Oops. This will be a big task for me, as I also use my kitchen counter as a sort of landing pad/reminder area/to-do list holder/communication center... I'm not quite sure how to remedy that, but I do know there are dishes and other gadgets that could be given a home in my soon-to-be cleaned out cupboards.

Outdoor Spaces: I am happy to report that my back patio has recently received a little remodel of sorts. J, his dad, and his uncle built an arbor that I have been longing (harrassing him) for. It's so beautiful... My wisteria is already so happy to call it "home". I have plans for grapes and kiwi to also make a home there, and for neighbors and family to gather for BBQs and card games, while the children explore the yard (which is a major work in progress.... for the rest of my life, I think).
The front porch, however, is a much different story. I would like people to feel welcome to gather there, but it doesn't happen. I don't hang out there, so I don't know why I would expect someone else would want to. I have several potted plants, but I like Simple Mom's idea of planting them with natives that will acclimate and (maybe) not need as much attention as a potted plant typically does. I have wicker furniture on the front deck, but it is never used. Perhaps it just needs new cushions that don't look so dirty?! I will make my tasks for this area to move the furniture into a more inviting arrangement, replace old cushions, and figure out some lighting for the dark corner near the garage. If I can convince J to hang my hammock somehow, I know I will be out there more!

Spring Cleaning Week: Decluttering

With receiving a layoff notice and another major life event that I have not mentioned here, I am in the mood for some change that I have control over. I have been rearranging furniture a bit and contemplating chopping off my hair... J would have an absolute fit if I followed through with the latter, so I have not committed to that quite yet. Still, it may happen when the weather warms up permanently. I am ready to embrace some positive change!

So, I stumbled upon this and thought, the timing is perfect:

Today, the focus is decluttering.... the story of my life! The author of the Simple Mom blog defines decluttering as "getting rid of anything that's not useful or beautiful".
I like that.
I could use some more of that.
I will do that and get back to you tonight (I hope.... please don't hold me to that) to let you know how it went.

10:15pm -- After reading the Simple Mom article for today, I managed to prepare 2 big black garbage bags for the donation pick up truck that is scheduled to drive through our nrighborhood tomorrow.... Yay for me! If I can do that in one afternoon (in only one room... yikes), then I know I can purge a lot more throughout the house. Sadly, I still have a lot more to do in my craft/dump-everything-I-don't-have-an-immediate-plan-for room, which is where today's bags were created.

Of all of Simple Mom's "decluttering roadblocks", the very first one resonated with me most: I have a hard time getting rid of things because I feel like I might need them at some later date and won't have them anymore. The problem with that is, because I hold on to so much stuff, I often can't find the things that I know I have somewhere when the time comes to use it!

One Small Change: Stop Wasting Food

Hmm... writing April's One Small Change like that makes it sound so horrible... I suppose it kind of is.

I have a habit of making dishes to feed a family of ten, but in real life I have a family of three. So, we have leftovers. I put them in the fridge. The next night, I make another meal to feed several teenage boys (of which I have none), and leftovers go in the fridge again. This cycle tends to continue until a week has passed since I made dinner for the family of ten and I need to throw those leftovers in the garbage.

Waste. I feel bad about it. Really, I do.

The good news is, I have realised that there is something I can do about it! Here's my plan:

• Clean the fridge. Purge the items that are far too old to eat. Bust out my spray bottle of Thieves cleaner and make that puppy shine. Now, I can see what food is in there, and I am less likely to not eat something because I can't see it. Maybe I can even come up with some sort of system of what items (ONLY!) are allowed to go on each shelf..... Or, is that too anal retentive?...
• Plan my meals for the week/month. This should help me to stick to my grocery list and not buy things that aren't going to get consumed. This should also help to eliminate my nightly ritual of standing in the kitchen for a good half of an hour and still not being able to decide what to make for dinner.
• Decide how produce items will be used before the box arrives. You may or may not know that we have our organic produce delivered to our door every other week. Our CSA posts what the box will contain (and recipes!) on their web site, a week before our box is delivered. I should take advantage of this. The winter is filled with a lot of leafy things that often get composted, rather than eaten. Or, I just don't have a plan for how to use a particular item, it turns, it gets composted. So, my compost pile is great, but it's kind of like I'm just throwing my money on top of the pile...

Yes, I think that's plenty for right now. Do you have any ideas/templates/tools to share that will help me with this change? I would love to hear it!

Pattern Binder

Why didn't I think of this sooner... Instead of my sewing and knitting patterns being piled in a drawer or on various counters, they are now all neatly tucked inside these binders that live on the counter in my craft room.

Now, if I could just get my piles of fabric organized... Any ideas? I am on vacation until December 2nd, so I actually have time to work on this!

Getting Organized: Anastasia's Room

We bagged up 3 large bags of clothing that is now too small (to be handed down to a cousin and my custodian's daughters), 1 box of clothing that is still too big (put up on the closet shelf, no longer taking up drawer space), a pile of too small shoes (cluttering the garage), 4 boxes of too big shoes (these handed down gifts are now boxed up on the closet shelf as well), and realised that we have plenty of outfits for the 3T/4T stage. Yahoo!

I cannot remember where I got the inspiration for this, but I made labels for Anastasia's dresser drawers--just the bottom two that are safe for her to pull out and reach into. I saved the top two drawers to be used for clothes that fit right now, but are out of season. Her closet now only has dresses and skirts hanging in it, which has freed a lot of space. The bottom two drawers of her dresser now look like this:

I wish I had thought about the size of the tags before I fancified them... As you can see in the picture, the two on the top drawer hang down too low, so that they get caught in the bottom drawer after you open and close it. Boo. I am going to have to cut them down and fix them. They won't be as pretty anymore, but they won't be crinkled from the bottom drawer either. What's the carpenter's mantra?... Measure twice, cut once...?... Oh, yeah. I knew that.

In any case, Anastasia is having a ball picking out her own outfits to wear, as most three-year-olds do! Shoes that fit now are organized on the closet floor that is no longer covered in stuff. And I bought these very cool, kid-sized hanging racks at Ikea for her to hang her sweaters so she can see them all and choose the "right" one before we head out the door.

It looks pretty good in there, and it feels nice and clutter free. She even helped me go through all of her books and decide which ones should be donated to "babies who need books". She did a great job; I didn't have to encourage her at all, she just did it. She even picked out some toys for the "babies", too.

Getting organized: My Closet

I want to be organized. Really, I do. I am a great planner. In fact, I tend to have a five-year-plan available at all times. It is the area of execution where I am greatly lacking... For example, I have for years begun the trick of turning my clothes hangers backwards, so at the end of the season I will know for sure which clothes I never wore because their hangers would still be backwards. The theory is to then get rid of those clothes that were never worn. I don't own a lot of clothes, but why hang on to things I never use?

I am one of those people who has a hard time getting rid of things because I think one-day-I-might-need-that-and-I-won't-have-it-anymore. Do you know anyone like that? Are you like that? If so, you know how difficult it is to get yourself organized, because you have a lot of "stuff".

I want to declutter. I want to be organized. I want to find things quickly, and not by remembering which pile they are located in (though, I am very good at that, as long as no one has consolidated my piles without asking first...). I know it will take time, but I am ready. This fabulous lady has inspired me to keep the ball rolling.

Anastasia is in bed. J is at a poker game. Here I go...

My closet before:

And, after the Spring cleaning I am donating (or refashioning into dresses for Anastasia) this:

It doesn't look like I got rid of too much (17 items). Still, I feel pretty good! Especially, since I bought two new sweaters at ecothrift today.

I will do this again in the fall to purge summer clothes that did not get worn. Hangers are backwards and ready to go...