Considering the name of my blog is Life...Organized, I thought it was time we discussed life. Yes being more organized and having less clutter in your home has a direct corelation with your inner feelings and thoughts. However, do you absolutely need to be in control of where every item goes in your house? Can you learn to let go of some things so you can have more of a life?
You certainly can. A friend popped by yesterday and was amazed by all the toys on my living room floor. "You have come a long way Andrea", she said. I remember when this would have never happened." I replied with, "Well, I will pick them up later, what's the point of tidying this room up 20 times in one day." Never ever would I have allowed this 5 years ago. I have been on an amazing journey in the last 5 years of personal growth. Having to pick up the toys constantly was something I did when Hanna was a toddler. Now, I am armed with the knowledge that the toys on my floor do not equal being a "bad mother or bad wife". I have learned to let go, loosen up and just live. If I had to chose spending 10 minutes with my son, teaching him a new sound or the name of something new, or clean up the toys and let him see that cleaning was more important than him; what choice should I make?
You see, children learn from example. You children want to be just like you. Running around the house and always cleaning is NOT how I want to be remembered by my kids, husband or friends. I want to teach them through my actions that spending time with them is the most important priority I have. Yes, we all need to work for a living. And I do believe that when your home is under control and it doesn't look like a tornado just passed through that everything goes a whole lot smoother. Just think for a moment though, if today was your last day, what was more crucial - getting the toys picked up right away so the house was clean, or spending time with someone who loves you?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Let's Get Going!
The sun is shining in the window, the tunes are blaring, and we're ready to rock. The first area of the house you see upon getting in the door is your entry. Other people see it first too, and impressions take just 2 to 8 seconds to form. Be it large or small, there never seems to be enough space in the entry as it gets used by every family member as a dumping ground for absolutely everything - backpacks, laptop cases, shoes, lunch bags, mitts, jackets.....the list goes on and on and on. So let's get going! Most houses have a closet and if it is like mine, the front closet is jammed full and the door doesn't close all the way. That is, mine was like that till yesterday and then it all changed.
I emptied the closet from top to bottom - took my flip flops out (I guess winter really is here) and moved them to the shoe rack in the basement storage room. Hanna had shoes in the closet that were 2 sizes too small and Chris has more shoes than the rest of us put together. Taking precious space in the entry was a shoe rack, and instead of having one shoe rack in the closet and another in the entry; I made space for both inside the closet. The space in the closet where the 2nd shoe rack fit into wasn't being used anyhow, only an umbrella and a pair or two of shoes just thrown in. I went past each hanger and tossed out jackets from the 80's along with the ones that didn't fit right anymore..they must have shrunk in the wash or else we are changing our figures as we age.
The top shelf in the closet had ball caps, cowboy hats, and a motorcycle helmet plus all the odds and ends of "stuff" that just ended up there. It all came out. Now all that rests on the shelf are a couple of frisbees for our dog and a racquetball racquet and balls. Where did all the stuff go you wonder.....well some just went into the garage for another day of organzing but most got put away in the storage room on the shelves. And the rest, well it's garbage day on Thursday!
Now there is space, oh space in the front entry. More than one person can stand there at a time and put on their shoes. And the best part is that when I walked through the door today it felt neat and clean, and ohhh that makes my heart sing. Some flowers on the ledge and its 200% improved. Total length of project 2 hours. Go for it!
I emptied the closet from top to bottom - took my flip flops out (I guess winter really is here) and moved them to the shoe rack in the basement storage room. Hanna had shoes in the closet that were 2 sizes too small and Chris has more shoes than the rest of us put together. Taking precious space in the entry was a shoe rack, and instead of having one shoe rack in the closet and another in the entry; I made space for both inside the closet. The space in the closet where the 2nd shoe rack fit into wasn't being used anyhow, only an umbrella and a pair or two of shoes just thrown in. I went past each hanger and tossed out jackets from the 80's along with the ones that didn't fit right anymore..they must have shrunk in the wash or else we are changing our figures as we age.
The top shelf in the closet had ball caps, cowboy hats, and a motorcycle helmet plus all the odds and ends of "stuff" that just ended up there. It all came out. Now all that rests on the shelf are a couple of frisbees for our dog and a racquetball racquet and balls. Where did all the stuff go you wonder.....well some just went into the garage for another day of organzing but most got put away in the storage room on the shelves. And the rest, well it's garbage day on Thursday!
Now there is space, oh space in the front entry. More than one person can stand there at a time and put on their shoes. And the best part is that when I walked through the door today it felt neat and clean, and ohhh that makes my heart sing. Some flowers on the ledge and its 200% improved. Total length of project 2 hours. Go for it!
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