My Life as it Should Be

A Funny Thing About Cleaning

When I had my Miche Bag party several weeks ago I spent most of the day prior to the party cleaning the house. I guess this is a normal activity to do before having guests in your home. I cleaned off the kitchen island, picked up all the kids' toys (downstairs at least), swept the floor, made sure all the dishes were clean and out of the sink, and cleaned the downstairs bathroom. But I did spend ALL DAY getting this done. When I was talking to Tony about it later he confessed that he thought he would come home that evening and have to help me get the house tidy... and then (the funny thing) he said "It's amazing what you can do when you apply yourself." Well of course if I spend all day cleaning, getting nothing else done, then YES, I can get a lot done. But this is no way to spend the day on a normal basis.

What frustrates me about cleaning is that even when you do a good job at it, the dirt and dishes and toys and clutter all come back! And you just have to do it all again. I know if I had a better system then this would all go a little more smoothly, but I don't yet. The other frustrating thing is that there is more to do in the house then just the normal cleaning... there is the clutter clearing and organizing I would like to get done when I have the time. But when I do find time for cleaning it is always the "normal" things that must get done first - like the laundry and the bathrooms and the floors/vacuuming!  By the time that is finished I am usually either too tired to do more or I am out of time! Now I realize I am not the first woman to realize these issues with cleaning, but it is upsetting none-the-less.

And then the kids are awful about helping... which I know is partly a lack of discipline on our part. At the start of last summer I gave the kids an ultimatum... clean the playroom or no TV. Well it was an entire week before they cleaned it and then they had gotten so used to not watching TV they just didn't ask anymore. So they went an entire month without watching TV. Glorious. But that still didn't really solve the cleaning issue.  

I declared today a cleaning day and the kids have done next to nothing to help. They like spraying the cleaner so they cleaned all the mirrors in the bathrooms and Brandon got out the disinfectant and sprayed all the door knobs and light switches but what I really need them to do is pick up their toys and clean their rooms which they will not do. I can't spend all my time overseeing them or I won't get anything done myself so I have told them what they need to do and now I am ignoring them until they do it. I have mentioned if it doesn't get done today then we will try again tomorrow after school, and the next day and the next until it gets done. No TV, no playing with their neighbor friends and no reading until they help out and do their part. As far as the downstairs (where we all have to live), after I am done with the bathrooms and laundry I will be going around with a trash bag and picking up for them. I have already mentioned this as well so it should be no surprise when I do it, although that won't change the screaming and crying that will ensue. 

There is definitely a "My Life as it Should Be" post coming on this topic, but I am not ready to tackle it yet.  Maybe a chore chart, or an allowance system... I just don't know what will motivate the kids.  I wish I had it all figured out.  Any suggestions are welcome! :-)

My Life as it Should Be: My Purse!

So after that horrible day I decided to clean out my purse, I had to come up with a plan to keep the clutter out!  I did a little research the same evening I wrote the blog post and thought I would go with a new purse and one of the organizing systems I found on-line. That next weekend I went to Fred Meyer and looked at purses but didn't find anything I really liked. Then I remembered the purse a friend of mine had showed me except I wasn't sure of the name... but it just so happened I saw a lady in the store with the same type of purse so I stopped her to get the name and ask her opinion of the product. She said it was a little small for her but that is exactly what I needed... smaller! The name was Miche Bag. These purses come in two sizes and are sold though home-based distributorships. I liked what I saw on-line and sent off an e-mail to have someone contact me.  Within a couple days they had responded that my information was passed on and then a very nice lady contacted me to set up a Miche Bag party just one week later.  Great turn-around time!  She suggested a later date but I was in a hurry!  I had already ditched my big wallet for a smaller one and that was all I was carrying around - I needed a purse!  The party was a success and I was able to get a base, two shells (the Ashley and Christa) and a purse organizer (over $90 worth of product) for just over $20 with my party credit and discounts!  

 

Great!  I got what I needed, other ladies were able to purchase this fun bag, and we all supported a local woman in business for herself! I will say I am not too sure about the organizer yet, as the only thing I am organizing so far is a pen! But the purse has been working great the past couple weeks and I have not felt the need to stuff anything in there! Receipts go in the bag at the store and then are either disposed of or saved when I get home. Kids items are given back to the kids for them to put away... as it should be for heaven's sake!

I think the best change so far is my wallet. My old wallet was big and bulky, and the perfect place to put all those troublesome receipts!  Look at the difference!

First of all I found eleven cards I was able to simply get rid of: seven old insurance cards, one old NV state drivers license, one grocery store rewards card (no Smith's in WA), one old Costco card, and one old 24 hour fitness card!  I also took out cards that I can use by giving a phone number, making sure the phone number method works before removing the card! I was able to take out two grocery store cards and several other store cards - whoo hooo!  Getting lighter and lighter!  And of course just managing my receipts better probably cuts out about half the weight of my old wallet! I don't have room in the new wallet to store receipts so they either go in the bag or in my pocket, but either way they will be dealt with when I get home. I finally returned an item I was saving a receipt for and when I got home all the receipts were shredded... instead of them sitting in my wallet until the next big clean out!

Clutter: Photography Business

My photography business has been closed for over a year now.  But it still has a strong presence in several areas of the house!  My office was the home to numerous photography magazines, a large pile of papers related to the business, and a file drawer full of files that no longer need to be at my finger tips.  Our very large walk-in pantry has my studio lighting, and a few props and marketing aids.  I still use some of the backdrops and my lights from time-to-time, but a lot of the other things can be packed up and stored or simply purged.  The first thing I did was move the large pile of papers to a bankers box as this contained a lot of my tax-related paperwork.  That will have to be stored for a while, but not right next to me creating clutter!  The business files will also be moved to a bankers box and stored.  This will make room for the files I can use now like contracts for my published scrapbooking work and MOMS Club treasury paperwork... all which now take up residency on my desk!  A place for everything and everything in its place, right?  

The magazines I gave to a man I met at the park.  We started talking about photography and then he was interested in possibly buying one of my lenses.  We met up a couple weeks later so he could try out the lens and I dumped all the photography magazines from my office in his car!  The only one I kept was a "Professional Photographer" issue with an article sub-titled "Find the recipe for balance in work and life" highlighted on the front.  Hmmmm, I wonder why I kept that one?  And if anyone is interested, I highly recommend "Professional Photographer" to any photographers serious about creating a successful business. It has great articles ranging from the artistic side, to the post-processing and technical side, to the business side of "the business."  It really is a great magazine. 

Purge, baby, purge!  Now all the scrapbook magazines that were accumulating on my desk have been moved to a shelf above my desk which previously held these dust-collectors pictured above!  Three years worth!  The scrapbook magazines I refer to regularly for inspiration and it is nice to have them a little more organized!  

Now go find something that no longer needs to be out in-plain-sight and put it away!  Maybe it is a craft you have decided to put on the back burner for a while, or maybe it is a book you started to read and never could get into... Whatever it may be go find its proper place, out-of-site until needed again,     and start clearing the clutter!

Clutter: My Purse

My purse.  What an amazing and horrible mess!  It is hard to tell from this picture how much stuff is in there, but just read on...

I went to a baby shower last year and they had a game where the lady with the heaviest purse wins a prize. I knew right away I would win, and not only because I had a full bottled water in there!  Other ladies had bigger, bulkier bags but mine tipped the scale and won!  So apparently I have known about my little purse problem for a while but have chosen to let it get worse and worse. There have been times where it has taken me a good minute to find my keys in this veritable black hole.  Several times I have actually given up, looked elsewhere for them, only to find they were in my purse the entire time... dropped into the wrong pocket or just hiding in a deep corner.  Uuugggh!  How frustrating.  Not to mention the red marks the straps often leave on my shoulder after a long shopping trip.  Children's backpack studies have shown the direct relationship of heavy backpacks to shoulder and back pain.  While not as heavy, I'm sure my purse is no different.  And since I already have hereditary back issues, I am definitely not doing myself any favors here.   

So, I decided to sit down last night and clean the darn thing out.  I made a list as I went, and while some of these items are a little embarrassing, I am posting it here for "the blogging world" to see.  Maybe if I record it, and come up with a few "rules of the purse" to make sure this won't happen again, I will have some motivation to hold myself accountable.  We will see.

The List: (cringing a bit here)

1. Comb - most likely from the kids' school pictures last fall.  It was dirty so I threw it out.
2. Small pencil from putt-putt last summer.
3. Dairy Queen kids meal bag, coupon already torn off.
4. 2 round pins from a visit to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in August 2009.
5. Alex's achievement ribbons from her last TOPS gymnastics meet earlier this month.
6. 2 leather coasters and 1 leather key chain from a hands-on demonstration at the county fair in August 2009.
7. Thank you note for a girl who attended Alex's birthday party in February, on the off-chance we see her at gymnastics.
8. Fred Meyer rewards coupons - expire 4-24 which I would still like to use.
9. Very old (and crumbling) check holder with two empty books of checks, old receipts and a check register I haven't used in eight years!
10. Wrapped fortune cookie and wrapped chocolate chunk cookie from Panda Express three weeks ago.
11. Lollipop, band aid.
12. Point and shoot camera in a case and the battery charger.
13. Kids' shot records.
14. Blank deposit slips from two different banks.
15. Business cards for my photography business I closed over a year ago.
16. Business cards for MOMS club - they are dirty and I would never hand them out in this condition.
17. Metal business card holder - empty.
18. 3 free ice cream cone coupons for McDonalds.
19. Key chain w/eyeglass screwdriver.
20. REI report to members which had the dividend and 20% off coupons I used a week ago.
21. 2 empty (cardboard) gift card holders.
22. List of locations for lunch after bowling league (through 12-29-2009)
23. Receipt for the headboard in Brandon's room from one year ago.
24. Printout of vision benefits from 7-09
25. Free pass & schedule for the Gravity classes at the fitness center.
26. Oil change papers from 5-22-09.
27. Oil change papers from 8-21-09.
28. Receipt from tennis shoes ordered last week.
29. Written list of things to do in Washington D.C. for a trip last June.  I forgot to bring the list.
30. Spoon used for a yogurt snack... I know, gross.
31. Old grocery store shopping list.
32. Small journal to record quotes from the kids.  Pen.
33. MOMS club name tag and lanyard.
34. 9 small bow hair clips, which were taken out of Alex's hair at gymnastics several months ago.
35. 2 bobby pins, 2 AAA batteries, 1 screw, 1 rock, 1 nerf bullet, and 2 hair bands.
36. Feminine hygiene items, more band aids, and very old hand cream.
37. Cell phone.
38. Tickets to a Jon Schmidt piano concert from 1-7-2010.
39. Small pouch with a pearl from San Francisco, who knows how many Januarys ago!
40. My Wallet.  It deserved a picture.  See below.  It is ridiculous.

So now that my purse and wallet are cleaned out, what should I do?  I like my purse, but maybe I need something smaller.  I also like my wallet, but maybe I need a separate holder just for "the cards" and then one for my cash.  I will have to take a look somewhere this weekend and see what is out there.  As far as rules.... I think the first thing is to obviously keep less receipts.  At least some of the gas stations now give you the option for no receipt, which I gladly take!  I know I hold onto some receipts because I am afraid I will need to return something but there are several stores that have such a good return policy you really don't need to have the paper receipt.  Target and Costco for example... they take back anything it seems!  Another rule - if the kids give me something to hold onto while we are out, give it back to them once we are home.  And it would not be a bad idea to sit down once-a-week and clean out what is not needed.  I will be back with an update... for now, a few things I found searching the internet.

Purskeet - the Original Purse Organizer

Chic Fashion

The Butler Bag 

The first two above are purse inserts.  This allows you to take the insert out and change purses easily.  The Butler Bag is the purse and insert together, and a little more pricey.  I see there are a lot of other inserts out there, just search "neat purse" or "purse organizer" and a bunch of options come up!  

My Life as it Should Be: Clutter-free

If my life were as it should be, there would be no clutter.  None.  No piles of mail, school papers, bills, or papers waiting to be filed.  My projects would be put away when I am done, and things wouldn't accumulate where they are not supposed to.  Old clothes would be sorted and sold or donated, and my craft room would be organized and ready to work in.  Not only is clutter a physical problem but it causes mental clutter as well.  Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with what needs to get done, nothing will get done.  I read a book recently that I really connected with called "The Clutter Cure: Three Steps to Letting Go of Stuff, Organizing Your Space, and Creating the Home of Your Dreams" by Judi Culbertson.  In her introduction she wrote these words:

"My own wake-up call came in 1976 when my extended family rented a vacation house in Rehoboth Beach, Deleware.  I was floored by the simplicity of the home.  The kitchen held only the items we needed to prepare a meal.  In the morning, after making the beds and washing the cereal bowls, we were done for the rest of the day. There was time to go to the beach, read, explore, or do anything else we wanted."

Now one of the reasons I connected with this is because my family spent a week at Rehoboth Beach every summer while I was growing up.  And some of the things I remember best were the lazy days spent playing at the beach, doing a puzzle inside, or reading a book on the screened in porch.  I know vacation days don't really resemble life, but wouldn't it be nice to get a little closer to that feeling?  To be rid of the clutter and keep only the things that really matter? To keep only the things that will improve your life as you are living it today?  I think it would be nice. 

So working toward a clutter-free living experience will be a regular part of this blog.  This is such a major topic that it is not something I can't cover on a Monday and expect to be on top of by the end of the week.  It will be a slow process for me, but hopefully something that I can tackle one cluttered area at a time!  I would love to wash the cereal bowls in the morning and have the entire day to spend as I wish! What would you do with your clutter-free time?